Scottish Land & Estates questions RSPB data on muirburn

Scottish Land & Estates has hit out at what it calls “highly questionable” information being released “by those pursuing an agenda against grouse moor management.”

Scottish Land & Estates was responding to claims regarding the use of muirburn by land managers after 262 reports were made via an RSPB app set up to monitor the practise.

NatureScot says muirburn is largely aimed creating “a mosaic of heather patches of different ages” which provides “variation in vegetation structure [that] also suits deer and livestock” as well as birds, insects and reptiles.

Many land managers also use it to quell the risk of wildfires by exhausting the weight of fuel contained in heather – something that, if not done, can often often lead to uncontrollable fires across moorland.

But the RSPB opposes the practice on peatlands, claiming it can lead to the release of harmful carbon dioxide and potentially cause the bogs to dry out completely over time.

Senior land use policy officer for RSPB Scotland, Andrew Midgley, said: “The data collected through our app, when overlaid on existing peat depth maps, provides us with an insight into what is happening across these landscapes and will help to inform debates about burning and land management in our uplands.”

Tim Baynes, moorland director at Scottish Land & Estates, however, said: “Burning is regulated and well monitored and land managers are very clear about where and when they are permitted to burn. Sadly, this is another occasion when highly questionable recording of information via the public on an app is presented as fact by those pursuing an agenda against grouse moor management. Muirburn is a highly skilled practice and there is a massive effort made to ensure that it is carried out to the highest standards. There is also increasing evidence to show that well-managed muirburn does not harm carbon storage in peat and can actually enhance it.”

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