golfCharlie, Must be all the Rioja I've drunk tonight, but no comprendo. Which lady ?

Jul 1, 2018 at 8:07 PM | Supertroll

I have never actually met the lady. With your experience, what is the minimum safe distance?

GolfCharlie. Your spelling is getting atrocious.
"One of Climate Science's top thinkers".
I believe in the last word, "th" should be replaced by "st"

Blimey, Zed is back from the dead, and sounding madder than ever. Too much sun, perhaps.

Jul 1, 2018 at 7:18 PM | DaveS

One of Climate Science's top thinkers.

Jul 1, 2018 at 2:50 PM | Supertroll

Further to your comment......

Peat absorbs water, so peat which is burning will support fire, which will carry on spreading until it meets damp peat. By contrast, rubber tyres etc do not absorb water, so they remain able to burn at the bottom of a mound of recycling material, even if rain occurs, or Fireman Sam has had his hose out.

"Putting out" Moorland/heathland/scrub/forest fires, with aircraft water bombing etc involves aiming at the flames AND the stuff which is about to burn. Once a tree is burning, it can't be saved for any useful purpose, but its neighbour can. Fire breaks in forests are useless if they are overgrown with dried out tinder, which most are.

Blimey, Zed is back from the dead, and sounding madder than ever. Too much sun, perhaps.

Golfcharlie
Are you talking about the moorland fire? If so the peat could potentially smoulder for months until the autumn/winter rain. If not could you enlighten me?

Jul 1, 2018 at 2:17 PM | Uibhist a Tuath

Yes, including Saddleworth Moor. I agree, peat will smoulder away until the bulk is burned up, or until there is sufficient rain to extinguish it.

Controlled burning of heather, woodland, scrub, fields etc has been a part of landscape maintenance for hundreds/thousands of years in many parts of the world. Such fires will also occur naturally, without man's intervention.

Allowing vegetation and debris to accumulate just results in bigger fires, when they happen. Australia has suffered from BAD Ecology at the hands of Green Environmentalists with extensive fires because residents were banned from burning off scrub vegetation.

UK power stations burning US wood pellets is offensively stupid.

Shooting birds and other game has changed the UK landscape, particularly moorland. I have no idea whether this traditional use, or a change from it, or to it, has been a factor in this instance. Blood sports are not my thing, but as a Country Bumpkin, I get very annoyed with townies trying to dictate rural ways of life, so they can enjoy an annual picnic, watching fat fluffy bunnies eating away at a farmers income.

BTW "peat free" compost is rubbish.

UaT. It is my understanding that one good soaking, say from a single thunderstorm, will extinguish almost any moorland fire. Any fire at depth within a peat sequence doesn't need water to reach it in order for it to be extinguished. Any fire (even one that smolders), requires large quantities of oxygen to continue. A rain event will usually cut off oxygen (even if it doesn't reach the smoldering peat beneath the surface) and just as importantly will cool the peat to beneath its ignition temperature. Accordingly, most peat fires self extinguish.

Golfcharlie
Are you talking about the moorland fire? If so the peat could potentially smoulder for months until the autumn/winter rain. If not could you enlighten me?

Can we please leave Mr Robinson in the past.? He has been discussed at great length and I think it's safe to say that the common ground is limited.
Elon Musk's latest money making scheme in Kent is much more interesting.