Woodland and walkers at risk as tinder-dry hill slopes burn

The wildfires that raged across the hills of Ross-shire over the weekend have badly affected two key National Trust for Scotland (NTS) properties: the estates at Torridon and at Kintail and Morvich.

The Inveralligin forestry scheme, Torridon House and Torridon village itself were under threat, while in Kintail firefighters were unable to stop the flames reaching one of the NTS forest regeneration plantations above the A87. The regeneration is part of a carefully orchestrated plan to join up existing patches of ancient woodland by re-establishing the Caledonian pine forest, and is one of the NTS’s key conservation objectives. “Despite the best efforts of the crews on the ground," said Pete Selman, the NTS director of property and visitor services, "once the fires reached the trees, the flames leapt as high as 40 feet. At one point it looked as if the plantation might have been saved but the fires flared up again and, as it was getting dark, the teams had to come off the hill for their own safety.” The NTS describes the loss of the mature trees as “heartbreaking”, and hopes to begin re-establishing the affected area of forest once the area has been made safe. Visitors are being reminded to take extra care during this very dry – but deceptively windy – weather, and not to light fires or barbecues close to dry heather and grass. In Torridon, Liathach – always a spectacular sight – has become even more so with the flames. There have been various other heathland and hill fires over the past few days. Glen Gyle on the eastern side of Loch Lomond has been affected, as has an area near Carsphairn in the northern part of Galloway. Beyond Scotland, there have been fires in northern England, Wales and the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland.

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