Wildlife killed in New Forest fire will take ‘decades to recover’

Wildlife killed in New Forest fire will take ‘decades to recover’ Forestry England has warned that it will take years to remedy the ecological damage done to vast swathes of the New Forest ahead of a major transplantation project Wildlife and ancient trees destroyed in a horror wildfire the size of 140 football pitches will take decades to recover, experts warn. The fire, which ignited after a van caught alight on the A31 near Ringwood in the Hampshire district on August 9, grew to the size of 140 football pitches and took days for firefighters to quell. Hampshire Fire and Rescue deployed 26 fire engines and four water carriers to the scene following a major incident declaration, and crewmembers remain stationed on site to ensure the fire remains extinguished. With the fire largely halted, Forestry England has been able to conduct an initial assessment of the blaze's damage, and officials have concluded the site, which has high-level environmental conservation protections, could take many years to recover. Forestry England said in a news release today that a specialist team was deployed to New Forest to map the area of the fire and analyse the damage caused. The blaze, the team found, has removed "all vegetation" from the area it scoured this month. Among the areas it scoured, the organisation said, was precious heathland, where fragile and ecologically significant vegetation like heathers, gorse and pillwort, a rare plant found in the New Forest grow. The flames burned so deep that they also destroyed layers of seed banks under the soil, and a "significant number" of ancient beech and oak trees. They had been resident on the site for hundreds of years, and met a sad end after the fire tore into their root systems. Vegetation was not the only part of the fragile ecosystem that was destroyed, the organisation said, with bogs in the area, which are typically more heat-resistant than the local brush, also burned. They were partially destroyed by the heat, as were "a considerable number of wildfire", with Forestry England saying "so many" habitats were destroyed. Michael Pittock, Head of Planning and Environment at Forestry England said it was "devastating" to look at the damaged vitally important habitats. He said: “It is devastating to walk around the area of the wildfire and see so much destruction especially on heathland which is such a rare and important habitat." “A large area is damaged, but we are also very aware that without the remarkable response from the fire and emergency services it could have been so much worse. We are extremely grateful to them and all of the local partners and members of the community who have supported the New Forest during this difficult time. “It will take decades for nature to fully recover but there are things we can do to help. Our teams will be working hard to support the area drawing on their experience of similar incidents and our ongoing restoration of heathlands across the New Forest. "We will also be working closely with partners to support the recovery and build resilience across the Forest.” Thanks to the efforts of Forestry England, some of the local wildlife was recovered and moved to a neighbouring area. The organisation now plans to embark on what could be a lengthy process to restore the damaged area, which is nearby another part of New Forest that was damaged by a fire almost 40 years ago. With that area having since been restored, it is planned to take cuttings from heather at the site to put together a protective layer that will help the soil recover and begin the reseeding process. Work is also ongoing on the A31, which was damaged when the lorry caught fire. Those works are expected to continue into the weekend, and have seen authorities replace 1,500 metres of boundary fencing, road resurfacing and several hundred metres of vehicle restraint barrier. A spokesperson for National Highways said the measures would be vital to ensure that animals don't enter the road, which could have safety ramifications for drivers. They said: “These measures are essential for safety reasons to deter animals from entering the road.”