Drone flights helped beat Dava fire
Thermal drone imaging technology operated by Forestry and Land Scotland and normally used to count deer, has helped SFRS to identify and deal with remaining hotspots following a fire on Dava Moor.
The FLS response to calls for logistical support and assistance enabled SFRS to deal with danger points that otherwise might have gone undetected, hand the site back to the land owners and stand its crews down.
Wildfires on peatland can often seem to be extinguished on the surface but can continue to burn in the peat to resurface at another place reigniting a fire days or even weeks later.
Overflying with a thermal imaging drone gives an immediate and highly accurate picture of where exactly dowsing and damping efforts should be targeted to swiftly put an end to the risk and prevent any further damage.
Craig McGoldrick, Assistant Chief Officer at the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), said;
“The SFRS have recently responded to large and challenging wildfires across Highland, Moray, and Aberdeenshire.
“The scale and complexity of the incidents resulted in a significant deployment of resources and expertise to the area.
“I would like to acknowledge and thank our partners, including Forestry and Land Scotland, who provided invaluable resources and support.
“Their assistance with additional equipment has significantly complemented our efforts on the ground.”
In the past FLS teams have monitored fire sites for weeks afterwards in case an underground burn manages to resurface.
Doug Harvey, FLS’ East Region Manager, said;
“Although this fire was on neighbouring land to ours, it was of such a scale that it could have become significantly worse and endangered communities and lives.
“We responded to the call for assistance and provided some equipment but our main contribution was piloting the thermal imaging drone to help locate the danger areas once the flames were out.
“Prior to the adoption of the hi-tech approach, ’after-fire’ monitoring relied on the human eye detecting wisps of smoke or spotting smouldering vegetation, which could easily be missed on breezy days or in dense ground cover. We monitored the site of the Cannich fire in 2023 for about three months.
“Earlier detection and action to deal with the hotspots is going to result in a substantial reduction on the impact of peatland fires.”
Reignited fires not only drain SFRS resources but also incur financial costs for land managers in terms of lost revenue and recovery costs.
Peatland fires also release substantial levels of carbon emissions.
Although the level of damage for the recent Morayshire fires is still being assessed, the six-day Flow Country Fire in 2019 was estimated to have released 96,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere, doubling Scotland’s peatland emissions that year.
FLS has restored 12,500ha of peatland and it would take an entire year for these bogs to capture the carbon released by the 2019 fire.
Notes to Editors
- Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) manages forests and land owned by Scottish Ministers in a way that supports and enables economically sustainable forestry; conserves and enhances the environment; delivers benefits for people and nature; and supports Scottish Ministers in their stewardship of Scotland's national forests and land.
- Home - Forestry and Land Scotland | twitter.com/ForestryLS
- Media enquiries to Paul Munro, Senior Media Manager, Forestry and Land Scotland Media Office 07785 527590 or paul.munro@forestryandland.gov.scot