Why the balmy spring weather in Scotland this month has felt bittersweet

While conditions are dry and prime for a wildfire to take off, it is ultimately human influence that causes them

A photo taken by the campers who were rescued by helicopter as the wildfire got closer to them in the Galloway Forest Park area | Supplied

Blazing sunshine and blue skies have well and truly woken up Scotland in the past few days from its long, dark winter.

Birdsong and blossom accompanied by hazy days and longer evenings shows spring has sprung.

But with this balmy weather, giving people energy to get into the outdoors, comes a bittersweet feeling: that being the risk of wildfires.

A build up of dead vegetation over the winter period, the dry spells the country has seen in the last few days and a bit of wind provides the prime conditions for a wildfire to burn fast and deep, damaging any flora and fauna in its path.

And we’re seeing it already.

Multiple wildfires have ripped across Dumfries and Galloway in the last few days, with several other blazes reported in the Highlands in recent weeks.

The wildfire season, which tends to be from March until June, when the country is most at risk, has begun in a much more dramatic way than last year.

In 2024, because of record amounts of rainfall in parts of the country, the number of wildfires was down by about two thirds on the year before.

This year, however, the SFRS issued high risk wildfire warnings from as early as February, with fires already taking place in March because of drier conditions.

Just this week, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) warned of early signs of water scarcity emerging across Scotland because of low rainfall.

The latest Water Situation Update, which covers March, shows the month brought below-average rainfall across most of the country, with some areas in the south of Scotland seeing less than a third of what they would usually expect. Sepa has since urged businesses to take action now to manage their water use and ensure their operations have climate resilience built in.

Land managers have expressed frustration for several years about a lack of action to tackle fuel load across the country in areas where there is limited grazing or muirburn - the controlled burning of the land.

A Scottish Government-funded James Hutton Institute study of muirburn and wildfires released earlier this year found evidence of wildfires over 442 sq km of Scotland’s moorlands over a five-year period, with 96 per cent of them outside of muirburn areas.

This controlled burning of moorland vegetation is now regulated under the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 which requires a licence for all muirburn activities

Some land managers, including charities such as RSPB Scotland, argue the practice is not appropriate and prefer to use other methods, including rewetting land.

Area Commander Michael Humphreys, who is the lead for wildfires at SFRS, said last month that people can incorrectly assume muirburn, which can be carried out from October until mid-April, can cause wildfires, when it is in fact a tool to help prevent them.

He called on land mangers to ensure they factor in wildfire management to their plans given the high risk, while acknowledging there are various practices different land managers prefer to adopt given the diverse landscape.

Yet, while the changes in weather, conditions of the ground and types of land management styles, or lack of, are contributing to vast areas of this country being at risk of wildfires, Mr Humphreys said they ultimately happen because of human influence.

This can be from careless campfires, barbeques, flicking of cigarettes or deliberate fires.

The weather brightening up provides a positive gateway for people to get out and enjoy the outdoors. But with it should come extra care and awareness of the risks some activities can bring to not only the land and wildlife, but also the communities and visitors living and travelling among it.