New data emphasises threat to ‘urban boundary’ properties, as Scotland issued nation-wide blaze warning for the 10th time this summer.
Ordnance Survey are assisting British emergency services in preparing for the outbreak of wildfires across the country. In particular, geospatial technology has being used to identify areas with particularly vulnerable homes, often found on the borders of urban and rural landscapes.
More 1.8million households live within 100metres of the urban-rural boundary. Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Essex, Kent, and Lancashire have the highest proportion of residents within these zones, which is where the greatest proportion of fires have taken place in recent summers. Most are small, burning through less than 1hectare, but experts emphasis this does not stop them from being incredibly destructive and disruptive.
Wildfire risk isn’t determined by weather and climate alone — it’s shaped by a complex set of factors, including the type and condition of vegetation, shape of the land (topography and slope), how land is used, and how likely it is to come into contact with potential ignition sources,’ said Duncan Moss OBE, Principal Consultant at OS and Co-Chair of the Natural Hazards Partnership Hazard Impact Science to Services Group. ‘Whether it’s a barbecue in the back garden, a campfire, or unextinguished smoking materials tossed from a footpath, there are far more opportunities for wildfires to start in these busy transition areas.’
‘In regions where wildfires are more common, like California, the rural-urban border is carefully managed. It’s easy to see this on maps—there’s often a distinct line where the town ends and a forest begins, sometimes with a firebreak in between. But in the UK, our borders are a much more patchwork mix of landscapes,’ added Gareth Clay, Professor of Geography at the University of Manchester and member of the Natural Hazards Partnership Steering Group.’In some ways, this patchwork protects us by breaking up fuel sources. Whether you’re in deciduous woodland, on a heath or a grassy field, each landscape has intrinsic properties that make it more or less flammable. But these areas also include vital infrastructure and fixtures of daily life…The more pressure an area is under, the greater the chances for ignitions.’
The news comes the same week as Scotland received a nation-wide wildfire warning for the 10th time this summer. Last month, blazes torched through 12,000hectares of land, leading to significant spikes in air pollution and localised threats to both human and animal life. Historically, alerts are rare in the UK’s most northerly nation, but are becoming more frequent thanks to increasingly hot and dry conditions. In July, Environment Journal reported the Scottish Environment Protection Agency [SEPA] announcing that long-term rain and snow deficits were impacting large swathes of Eastern Scotland.
‘Wildfire risk is growing, and the challenge isn’t just about what happens this summer or in one hotspot; it’s about how we prepare across regions, sectors and services,’ added Moss. ‘Ultimately, this is about long-term resilience. With better data and insights, councils and policymakers can make more informed decisions—from where to build and configure new homes and infrastructure to how we better defend what already exists.’
Image: Malachi Brooks / Unsplash
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