Swinley Forest Fires!

[Cordaline]

I'm sharing this with you all as I think it is absolutely tragic!
Also, very scary, as only 2 roads & some houses separate my house from the fires!
I've copied this in from a BBC news article:-
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Conservationists are concerned about the impact of a major forest fire in Berkshire on wildlife and plants.
Swinley Forest, near Ascot, Bracknell & Crowthorne, is part of a Special Protection Area (SPA) for three rare birds: Dartford Warblers, Woodlarks and Nightjars.
Natural England conservation officer Des Sussex said: "The timing is dreadful because a lot of the birds are in the middle of the nesting season."

Fires have raged over 200 hectares (two square kilometres), since Monday.

Swinley Forest features Iron Age hill fort known as Caesar's Camp.
It is a commercial pine forest.
The more mature pine trees are homes for birds such as Gold Crests.
The Devil's Highway is an ancient roadway in the forest.
The site also includes Swinley Brick Pits, an area of old clay pits.
The forest is popular for mountain biking, walking & is home to 'Go Ape'.

Mr Sussex added the habitat would "take a long time to recover".

The 2600-acre (1052-hectare) forest contains conifer pine trees that are managed as timber crop.

Areas of open ground contain heather, grasses and bracken.

"There are colonised by birds such as the Woodlark and the Nightjar which are really very rare birds," said Mr Sussex.

Samantha Dawes, conservation manager at the RSPB South East, said: "This is the breeding season for these rare and vulnerable birds, and both species will now be on their nests with eggs or chicks."
She added: "Although adult birds should be able to escape, the fires will destroy any eggs and chicks in its path."

Mr Sussex said the forest was also a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because its habitats are "some of the best examples in the UK", providing havens for butterflies such as the Grayling and for reptiles such as lizards and snakes.
He added that the habitats would take a long time to recover because the fires were travelling underground through peat, dry leaf litter and bracken.
He said: "We really do need some rain."

Homes have been evacuated and schools and roads closed as crews continue to tackle four forest fires.

[SheffieldLass]

It is very scary. I hope that they get the fires under control very soon and that the long-term damage is minimal. And also that your house and family and neighbours are safe. Where I live is also potentially very vulnerable to fire, so I hope we don't get an outbreak and have our homes up in flames ...

However that sort of habitat (heath and conifer) is a fire-adapted habitat. It thrives on fire - just as long as it isn't too frequent an occurence. The very extensive forest/heath fires in Dorset/Hampshire in the summer of 1976 seemed devastating at the time (I lived near them .. could see the smoke from them for weeks) but it recovered very quickly. Reptiles are probably one of the biggest losers though as they can't escape the fires. Adult birds can fly to escape, and they still have plenty of summer left to have further broods. I doubt if the nightjar has got very far into the breeding season, or even whether many have arrived yet. Not heard any here. They'd only be setting up territories so far. Also near here a site important for some rarish butterfly, can't remember of hand which, was burned. However they set up in the adjacent unburned area, and I don't think they experienced any major setback.

[sunnydale]

I heard that much of the access land across the Peak District has been closed because of the fire risk - but if it protects the ground nesting birds and habitat on the moors, then I'm all for it.

Walkers (like me) can stick to footpaths for a bit!

Tracey

[Cordaline]

Heart Radio said at lunchtime that the fire was now spreading at about 20 miles an hour!
Tha Police helicopter was circling again a while ago.

Apparently the wind is going to be changing direction over the next few days, god knows where that'll take it then.

[tom00_uk]

the Yorkshire dales fire is being tackled between the hours of 05:00-21:00, so through the night it gets to take hold and spread unchecked

Fire is good for a lot of these habitats, but its a shame that so many of these fires are being started by people and not natural events

[aeshna5]

Let's hope the rains come as promised for the weekend. Sad for those nesting birds, reptiles, etc.