The Wales Wildfire Board are encouraging farmers and landowners to #BurnToProtect the Welsh countryside this burn season.
As the long, hot summer comes to an end and we transition into autumn, with dry vegetation and a reduction in temperatures, burn season officially gets underway.
2025 has seen an unprecedented spike in wildfires across Wales. Combining grassland, woodland, crop and wildfire blazes, the three Fire and Rescue Services have responded to a total of 3289 incidents since January 2025, the largest number of incidents since 2018.
The Wales Wildfire Board want to remind farmers and landowners that burning heather, grass, bracken, and gorse can take place from 1 October up until 15 March (up to 31 March in Upland areas), however, they must have a Burn Plan in place to ensure they are burning safely.
You play a vital role in protecting our communities from the destructive effects of wildfires. Your land and livelihood are not only important to you but also crucial to our ecosystem and economy. We encourage you to adopt effective wildfire prevention measures when burning your land.
Andrew Wright, Chair of the Wales Wildfire Board and Senior Specialist Advisor - Plant Health and Knowledge Transfer at Natural Resources Wales said:
“As land managers, you play a critical role in safeguarding our communities from the devastating impacts of wildfires. Your land and livelihood are not just vital to you but are also essential to our broader ecosystem and economy. We are urging you to implement effective wildfire prevention strategies when burning your land. Burning your land responsibly is crucial in protecting your assets, guaranteeing the safety of your family and maintaining the productivity of your land whilst also ensuring you respect our countryside and play your part in safeguarding our environment and keeping our communities safe.”
About the Wales Wildfire Board
The Wales Wildfire Board is a multi-agency approach to better understand and manage the risk of wildfire on the environment and the communities of Wales.
It’s aims and objectives, delivered through a Wales Wildfire Charter, build on the knowledge and experience gained over the last decade whilst paying cognisance to the ever-present danger of climate change and the value of encouraging communities and individuals to work together to protect the areas where we live, work and visit.
The Board aim to engage with various audiences, working together to support wildfire management, listening, and sharing practical solutions for Wales. Through this collaborative approach, agencies on the Wales Wildfire Board hope to provide a better understanding of what can be done to limit the number of wildfire fires, in turn, minimising the damage they can cause to our environment.
Working together to protect our countryside and our country
The Wales Wildfire Board's approach to managing the risk of wildfire will include three key themes, each designed to ensure we can focus on the areas which not only require the most attention but will also have the biggest influence in improving our understanding of wildfires and how the Board can positively manage their impact:
- Partnerships - Through an evolving partnership approach, we will bring together Welsh Government, Emergency Services, Public and Private Organisations, Landowners and Land Users to manage and develop our landscape.
- Environmental and Community Resilience - We will contribute to the management of our landscape to protect wildlife, forestry, and livelihoods; improve well-being, health, and amenities, facilitate sustainable food production, and create a sense of place and community ownership.
- Prevention and Protection - We will implement a diverse range of management techniques to reduce the impact of wildfire on our communities and the landscape in Wales.
Burn to Protect Campaign Resources
Despite our past success, wildfires across Wales continue to provide a clear and present danger to our environment, our economy, and our communities and over the last four years, we have seen the early signs of plateauing in incident numbers, indicating perhaps a new approach is needed to safeguard our communities.
By drawing together a multi-agency approach to Wildfire awareness, the Wales Wildfire Board aims to engage with various audiences, working together to support wildfire management, listening, and sharing practical solutions for Wales.
As such, we have developed this page for all partners, contributors and stakeholders to the #BurnToProtect campaign to easily access all available materials:
- All Press Releases (English and Welsh versions) issued in support of the campaign.
- Pre-written and pre-translated social media messages.
- Images for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, which you can download to accompany the pre-written social media messages – or indeed any additional agency specific messages you would like to post in support of the campaign.
- All photographs, videos and incident footage which may also be used to support the campaign.
- Any briefing material which is developed to assist us in getting our messages across to our own staff on the frontline.
If you do have any questions around the communications approach to the Burn to Protect campaign – or indeed, if you’d like to discuss any additional material which you feel would benefit the campaign, then please do not hesitate to contact us.
Thank you,
MAWWFRS Press Office
pressofficer@mawwfire.gov.uk
Approved Documents
The documents below have been approved for publication.
Social Media Messages
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#BurntoProtect: Wales Wildfire Board All Wales Multi Agency Communications Plan
Protecting our countryside and our country
Promotional material used in the #BurntoProtect campaign.
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Burn Plan Advice to Farmer and Landowners
Promotional material used in the #BurntoProtect campaign.
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Fire Service Specific Messages
Promotional material used in the #BurntoProtect campaign.
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Public Health Specific Messages
Promotional material used in the #BurntoProtect campaign.
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Environmental Messages
Promotional material used in the #BurntoProtect campaign.
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In attendance at Incident Messages
Promotional material used in the #BurntoProtect campaign.
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Thank You Messages
Promotional material used in the #BurntoProtect campaign.
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Healthy Hillsides
Don’t Forget
Heather and grass burning with a Burn Plan ended on 15th March (31st March in upland areas).
The Heather and Grass Burning Code.
The Wales Wildfire Board is continuing its work with farmers and landowners across Wales, and together we can try to reverse the loss of Biodiversity in Wales. We understand the benefits and the role that controlled fires have on our landscape, in promoting biological diversity and creating healthier ecosystems.
Farmers and Landowners can continue to burn heather, grass, bracken, and gorse up until the 15 March (up to 31 March in Upland areas), however, they must have a Burn Plan in place to ensure they are burning safely. It is illegal to burn between sunset and sunrise and there must always be sufficient people and equipment on hand to control the burn. Breaking these rules can result in penalties of up to £1000. We want to work with our local landowners to ensure that this doesn’t happen. You can contact us for free advice on safe burning and we have more information on Farm Safety here.
You can find out more about The Heather and Grass Burning Code – and download a Burning Management Plan from the Welsh Government website (opens in a new window/tab).
If you see a fire which looks like it might be out of control or being burnt illegally, then please call CrimeStoppers (opens in a new window/tab) anonymously on 0800 555 111, or ring 101. In an emergency, always call 999.
Remember Fire setting is a crime.
While accidents can happen, there are others within our communities who are deliberately setting fire to our countryside. Deliberate fire setting is a crime and the Task Force is appealing for information on anyone deliberately setting fires to call 101, or to report anonymously to CrimeStoppers (opens in a new window/tab) on 0800 555 111. Anonymous means that no mobile number, address, or location of calls are tracked. Those caught will be prosecuted.
This work is supported by our Arson Reduction team, a problem-solving team, dedicated to reducing and eliminating deliberate fire-setting. The team consists of a seconded Police Officer, a Fire Officer and three specialist arson advisors who ensure that all incidents are investigated and analysed to make our communities safer. The team works closely with its partners to target problematic areas and to consistently develop ways of reducing arson and to identify who or what may be affected. You can find out more about the work of our Arson Reduction Team here.