‘The Global Wildfire Information System estimates that by November, wildfires had burned 47,026 hectares (116,204 acres) in 2025 in the UK – the largest area in any year since monitoring began in 2012, and more than double the area burned in the record-breaking summer of 2022’
A recent article in the Guardian.
‘The Best Time To Plant a Tree Was 30 Years Ago, and the Second Best Time To Plant a Tree Is Now’ …. so the quote goes.
…. ergo the best time to equip all the parties involved in wildfire response was 30 years ago, and the second best time is now.
But the government won’t.
The country is up to a decade behind in many aspects of education, technology, prevention and response around wildfires, and the only thing that will accelerate the process (and close the gap) is when wildfires start removing large numbers of properties and people off the map.
And by then it will be too late.
There was a 717% increase in the number of wildfires between 2024 and 2025 (*the figure is probably much higher because that was the statistic in June).
Like so many aspects of the relationship between humans and landscapes, the scale of the growth of the problem is exacerbated by the chronic defunding of the organisations expected to do the education, engagement, prevention and extinguishing of wildfires.
Yes, you can quote me on that.
‘Hope is not a good plan’.