Representatives of organisations involved in tackling the
wildfires which took place across Scotland this year are coming
together to reflect on how to prevent future incidents.
The event is a result of Scotland enduring the largest wildfires
in living memory, with 13 wildfire alerts in Scotland this year
alone and Dava in the Highlands enduring the worst damage.
It will be co-chaired by Agriculture Minister and Community Safety Minister
in the Cairngorms National
Park and attendees will include the Scottish Fire and Rescue
Service (SFRS), NatureScot, Scottish Land and Estates, land
managers and environmental organisations.
Mr Fairlie said: “It took an astonishing effort across so many
sites to tackle the wildfires we saw this year, and we are
grateful to all those who helped. This is a chance for us to look
at what worked, and what lessons we need to learn from what
happened.”
Ms Brown said: “Since the wildfires, we've engaged closely with
SFRS, local communities and Scottish public sector bodies on
building resilience to wildfires.
“We continue to support the full implementation of the SFRS
wildfire strategy, which will see the continued roll-out this
year of new equipment, vehicles and Personal Protective
Equipment.”
SFRS Director of Prevention, Assistant Chief Officer Jon
Henderson said: “This year Scotland has faced an unprecedented
scale of wildfire risk, and our crews have attended more than 200
wildfires across the country.
“Wildfires can employ a significant amount of our resources, they
also have the potential to burn for days and devastate vast areas
of land and wildlife, threatening the welfare of nearby
communities.
“We will continue to work closely with our partners, landowners
and communities in both our response and importantly to help
prevent wildfires, and we welcome the opportunity to participate
in this summit."
Head of Land Management at the Cairngorms National Park
Authority, McClean, said: "The Park Authority
welcomes this event, which provides an opportunity for critical
conversations to take place on wildfire mitigation and
management.
“Alongside ministers and stakeholders, we look forward to
discussing solutions for building on the work we are already
doing here in the National Park. Through our Integrated Wildfire
Management Plan, the Climate Adaptation Fund and the new fire
byelaw (recently approved by Scottish Ministers and coming into
effect in 2026), we are putting in place clear, practical
measures to reduce the risk of wildfire. Coming together at
events like this will help strengthen that work and ensure we are
as prepared and resilient as possible."
A roundtable discussion with MSPs will be held following
Parliamentary recess to share the findings from wildfire
engagements to date and to give parliamentarians the opportunity
to make contributions before any next steps.
