Wildfire policy and management in England: an evolving response from fire and rescue services, forestry and cross-sector groups

摘要

Severe wildfires are an intermittent problem in England. The paper presents thefirst analysis of wildfire policy, showing its halting evolution over two decades.First efforts to coordinate wildfire management came from local fire operationgroups, where stakeholders such as fire services, land owners and amenitygroups shared knowledge and equipment to tackle the problem. A variety ofstructures and informal management solutions emerged in response to localneeds. Knowledge of wildfire accumulated within regional and national wildfireforums and academic networks. Only later did the need for centralemergency planning and the response to climate change produce a nationalpolicy response. Fire statistics have allowed wildfires to be spatially evidencedon a national scale only since 2009. National awareness of wildfire was spurredby the 2011 fire season, and the high-impact Swinley Forest fire, which threatened critical infrastructure and communities within 50 miles of London.Severe wildfire was included in the National Risk Register for the first time in2013. Cross-sector approaches to wildfire proved difficult as governmentresponsibility is fragmented along the hazard chain. Stakeholders such as theForestry Commission pioneered good practice in adaptive land managementto build fire resilience into UK forests. The grass-roots evolution of participatorysolutions has also been a key enabling process. A coordinated policy is nowneeded to identify best practice and to promote understanding of the role offire in the ecosystem.This article is part of a themed issue ‘The interaction of fire and mankind’.