Visitors to Martinshaw Woods urged not to light fires

There have been a number of incidents at the forest this year.

The summer holidays means more people visiting sites such as Martinshaw Woods and potentially bringing BBQs. Yet the summer also means hot and dry conditions, like Leicestershire has seen this week.

These conditions can be perfect for fire and BBQs and campfires can quickly get out of control, causing huge damage to the environment. 

If the area is particularly dry, even a cigarette end can cause a dangerous blaze.

The Trust has issued the warning as it continues to deal with a major incident on moorland near Bolton.

In the summer of 2018, a toxic mix of a fire coupled with droughts, swept through the moorland at Smithills, creating a “moonscape landscape” and wiping out whole ecosystems, including displacing rare birds such as the curlew, damaging a third of the 1,700 hectare site and killing around 2,000 trees.

It took 42 days to bring it under control. The recovery is ongoing and costs are rising above £1 million.

Al Crosby, the Woodland Trust’s regional director for northern England said:

“Our sites are a wonderful place to visit with so much diversity – from mountainous Ben Shieldaig in Scotland and the moorlands of Smithills, to community woods and lowland forests towards the south of England, and everything in between. We of course want people to enjoy them but also to take care of them, which is why we have launched this campaign. It's all about recognising what’s special about these places, and how visitors can show their love for them and help us to keep them that way.

“Our key message is to people - help us to protect the precious woods and wildlife near you – please don’t light fires, it poses untold risk to people and wildlife. Even if people think they are in control one minute it can soon change and the affects can be absolutely catastrophic.”