A cigarette butt is suspected to have caused a forest fire that is believed to have killed thousands of young trees.
Nests and charred wood have been found after flames ripped through thousands of trees in Harrow Hill in the Forest of Dean following a “short hot spell” in May.
Leoni Dawson, community ranger for Forestry England, said they were worried “this whole place is dead and gone”.
It is thought no deer or boar were harmed due to a deer fence enclosing the area, but concerns remain for insects, reptiles, small mammals and bird nests.
In the UK we have a lot less unspoiled woodland and a much higher population density than Canada. We have to be careful that we don’t let a few people ruin it for everyone else by being careless, hence the focus on the cause in this case.
And yes you’re right, this hasn’t historically been an issue, but climate change means we are much more likely to have forest fires now.