|
| Workshop agenda | Abstracts | References (under construction) | Links | STORMS page Abstracts of Fire Seminar at MLURI 5th May, 1999. Priorities for fire research in West-coast ecosystems - Alistair Hamilton Colin Legg Upland conservation priorities in fire research - Angus MacDonald Fire in Scottish pinewoods: a plea for more ecological studies - Bob Proctor Fire and forest management in Scotland: some ecological research priorities - Jonathan Humphrey Fire research and heather moorland management - Isabel Guthrie Issues for muirburn on dry heather moors - John Milne Priorities for fire research in West-coast ecosystems Alistair Hamilton Colin Legg IERM, The University of Edinburgh Fire is frequently used in the management of blanket bog and wet heath and grasslands in the West of Scotland. It is generally presumed that this is of benefit to grazing animals and is detrimental to conservation interests. However, most grazing and fire research has been conducted in the drier ecosystems of the East and very little is known about the fire response of vegetation or the long-term sustainability of fire management in these wet peatland communities. Research is urgently required to provide the basis for fire management guidelines for the multiple objectives of land use including stock management, stalking, conservation and protection of the peatland resource. We will review our current understanding of the important ecological processes at a range of temporal and spatial scales and attempt to identify research priorities. Upland conservation priorities in fire research Angus MacDonald, Advisory Officer, Uplands Group, Advisory Services, Scottish Natural Heritage Fire is something of a contentious issue among conservationists, although also a potentially useful management tool. It is the third most important impact on upland habitats after grazing and afforestation. The need to define, monitor, and ultimately to manage, to maintain favourable conservation status for habitats listed Annex A of the EU Habitats Species Directive (and also featuring in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan) imposes an urgent need to better understand fire impacts. This particularly applies to the Directive priority types Active raised bog, Active blanket bog and Caledonian forest, but it also applies to non-priority types such as Northern Atlantic wet heaths, Dry heaths, Alpine and sub-alpine heaths, and Juniper on heaths and calcareous grasslands. Understanding of fire impacts for some of these is quite good (e.g. dry heaths) but is very incomplete for others. The prescriptive use of fire needs to be supported by the development of predi ctive models of fire behaviour and associated field assessment techniques. These are largely lacking for open ground habitats. Also, to effectively implement fire policies and prescriptions (including current muirburn legislation) there is a need for objective, rather than anecdotal, information on how and why fire is currently used in different paarts of Scotland. Again, this research area has been largely neglected. Fire in Scottish pinewoods: a plea for more ecological studies Mr Bob Proctor, RSPB The abhorrence of forest fires in most of Europe has resulted in almost complete suppression of fires in ecosystems in Britain. This fear of fire was taken to other parts of the world during the colonisation of other continents by Europeans. However, people in many countries now realise that fire is a natural part of many ecosystems and to suppress it ultimately leads to more severe fires that are more damaging. In North America, for example, fire is used extensively as a management tool to reduce fire risks in key areas, e.g. reserves, commercial forest areas, and the wildland-urban interface. Very little information is available from Britain on fire cycles, return intervals, or the effects of fire on various groups (e.g. birds, mammals, and invertebrates). The majority of fire research has been undertaken in countries such as North America, Canada, the Mediterranean region, Scandinavia, Russia, Australia and South Africa. These areas may, or may not, be relevant to the particular problems we have in Scotland. Therefore, we need to undertake our own research programmes in Scotland. Fire and forest management in Scotland: some ecological research priorities Jonathan Humphrey Forestry Commission Research Agency A brief review of fire regimes and fire behaviour in natural boreal forests is presented, and aspects relevant to the management of native woodlands in Scotland identified. More information is needed on the incidence and extent of both natural and man-induced fires to help refine existing fire danger models and identify high risk areas. Native pinewoods are frequently identified as a key habitat at risk from damaging fires. However, prescribed fire may have a role in these systems by helping to create additional wildlife habitat, enhancing tree regeneration and reducing the frequency of more destructive, uncontrolled fires. Conversely impacts may be deleterious especially in older, more vulnerable stands which already have high biodiversity value. Improved knowledge of fire behaviour, and the impact of fires on the pinewood ecosystem is needed, and could be obtained by adopting a modelling approach combined with targeted field assessments. Fire research and heather moorland management Isabel Guthrie The Heather Trust The purpose of The Heather Trust is to encourage the good management of heather moorland for the benefit of domestic stock, game and other wildlife, the people who live by them and the people who enjoy them. As part of our technology transfer objectives we need to keep in touch with fire research in Scotland and the rest of the UK. The limiting factor in moorland management in Scotland today is not a lack of research or understanding, it is a lack of application by the sheep and grouse industries. However, we have identified a number of areas which we see as priorities for research. Issues for muirburn on dry heather moors John Milne Macaulay Land Use Research Institute The objectives of muirburn on dry heather moors are outlined and 'best' practice to meet these objectives is described. 'Best' practice relates to size of burn and its orientation, altitude, habitat type and proximity to woodland. On the basis of a survey, conducted for Scottish Natural Heritage in the north-east of Scotland, only 12.5% of burns satisfied the criteria for 'best' practice. The principal reasons being excessive burn width, burning of inappropriate heather types and burning at too high an altitude. A high proportion of the area of the survey was judged to be under-burned. The consequences of under-burning are discussed and the practical constraints to achieving current 'best' practice suggested. The extent to which the objectives of muirburn may change in the future and hence influence 'best' practice are discussed. Workshop agenda | Abstracts | References (under construction) | Links | STORMS page Last updated 16th March, 1999 by Alistair Law@macaulay.ac.uk |
This page has been mothballed.