The summer of 2026 has brought one of the UK’s most severe wildfire seasons in recent years, fuelled by extreme heat and exceptionally dry conditions. More than 500 fires were recorded across the country in July alone, affecting agricultural land and moorland, heathland, and upland grasslands, landscapes that store carbon, regulate water, reduce flood risk and support some of the UK’s most valuable biodiversity.
While the visible damage caused by wildfire is clear, the impacts on soil health are much harder to see. The project is led by Professor Davey Jones of Bangor University’s School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, working with colleagues Professor Dave Chadwick, Professor Robert Griffiths, Dr Emily Cooledge and Dr Karina Marsden.
“Soil is often called the UK’s forgotten ecosystem, but it does an enormous amount of work for us below our feet, locking away carbon, filtering our drinking water and supporting the plants and animals that our landscapes depend on,” said Professor Jones. “Immediately after a fire, the soil can tell us a great deal about how badly it has been affected. But some of those signals can change rapidly following rainfall, erosion and vegetation recovery. That’s why it is so important that we are able to get into the field quickly following wildfires.”
The Bangor team is using a paired-plot approach, comparing burnt land directly with adjacent unburnt land. This provides a natural comparison that allows researchers to identify changes caused by fire while accounting for differences between sites. Locations are being identified across the UK using NASA satellite data, allowing the team to rapidly select suitable sites following new fires.
Researchers will measure changes in soil carbon and nutrients, microbial activity and function, water repellency and erosion risk, alongside impacts on plant biodiversity. By sampling across different ecosystems, the team will also investigate whether some habitats are more vulnerable to wildfire than others.
Initial field observations from sites at Sychnant Pass near Conwy and the Rhinogydd near Harlech in North Wales illustrate the potential scale of the impacts. The sites include upland heath within highly protected landscapes designated as Special Areas of Conservation, Sites of Special Scientific Interest and a National Nature Reserve.
At Sychnant Pass, preliminary field estimates suggest that the fire consumed 12–17 tonnes of carbon per hectare from vegetation, while burning deeply into the surface litter layer. Researchers also observed substantial losses of soil organic matter, highlighting the large stores of carbon held within these upland landscapes.
“These initial observations give us a snapshot of what has been lost, but measuring the immediate damage is only part of the story,” said Professor Chadwick. “We need to understand what happens next, how quickly these soils and habitats recover, whether some ecosystems are more resilient than others, and whether there are things we can do to help recovery.”
The team plans to return to study sites at 6, 12 and 24 months after the fires, allowing researchers to track changes in soil health, biodiversity and ecosystem function over time.
“Wildfire does not affect every landscape in the same way,” said Dr Emily Cooledge. “By studying different ecosystems and returning to the same sites over time, we can begin to understand which soils and habitats are most vulnerable, which are able to recover naturally, and where intervention may be needed to support that recovery. That evidence will be critical as we prepare for a future in which extreme wildfire events may become increasingly common.”
The project is being developed with wildfire response partners including Defra, the Forestry Commission, Natural Resources Wales, Natural England, the National Trust, National Park authorities, Scottish Forestry and Fire and Rescue Services, who are helping identify suitable fire sites as they occur.
Findings from the research will help land managers, fire services and policymakers understand the immediate consequences of wildfire and how damaged landscapes recover. The results could help inform measures to protect drinking water supplies, reduce flood and erosion risks, and safeguard vulnerable habitats as wildfire risk increases across the UK.
“By returning to these sites over the next two years, and comparing recovery across different ecosystems, we can understand why some soils and habitats recover more quickly than others, and whether there are things we can do to help recovery. It is essential that we build this evidence base now, in a co-ordinated way, so that we are better prepared for future summers,” said Professor Griffiths.
The research team welcomes suggestions of suitable wildfire sites from landowners and land managers. Please contact d.jones@bangor.ac.uk or e.cooledge@bangor.ac.uk if you are interested.
