Our next instalment of the Landscape Connections webinar series is on the 2nd July 2024 where we will be focusing on the increasing threat of wildfires in the UK. Register here.
The frequency of wildfires is expected to increase under climate change in the UK, which will have consequences on biodiversity, carbon emissions, soil and water, in addition to economic and social impacts. We will be joined by speakers who will share their experiences of improving wildfire management in the UK, drawing from decades of practical experience and learning from international examples.
Rob Gazzard, Forestry Commission
Rob Gazzard is an advisor on contingency planning and wildfire in Forestry Commission, programme manager of Lantra Vegetation Fire training in the UK, Europe and UK Overseas Territories and NAP3 wildfire actions and co-coordinator of the UK Wildfire Research Group. He has been deployed on UK and International wildfire incidents and prescribed fire operations, worked on wildfire and prescribed burning programmes and been a partner on various research projects in the United States and Europe.
Bruce Farquharson, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
Bruce Farquharson is the Deputy Assistant Chief Officer in charge of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s Training Department. He also has responsibility for the Services Wildfire Capability. This involves developing and maintaining the wildfire prevention and response strategy, and as the Chair of the Scottish Wildfire Forum, working with a diverse range of partners to develop a common understanding and agenda for all of the agencies involved in wildfire prevention and response. Bruce has been in the Fire Service for 31 Years and has had experience in a number of different departments in his career.
Gail Millin-Chalabi, UK Fire Danger Rating System, University of Manchester
Gail Millin-Chalabi is a Co-I Researcher at The University of Manchester for the NERC-funded project Towards a UK Fire Danger Rating System. She has been working in the field of Geographical Information Systems and Earth Observation for the past twenty years. Gail’s PhD focused on the use of radar data for characterising burned areas after wildfires in the Peak District National Park. She has since worked with organisations such as South Downs National Park, National Trust, Clyde & Co, Pixalytics, NatureScot, Forest Research and DEFRA to map and monitor the recovery of burned areas after wildfire incidents and to assess wildfire threat for UK peatland and heathland landscapes.
Register here.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the convenors for this webinar on students@iale.uk (Caitlin Lewis) or membership@iale.uk (James Millington). Recordings of other events in this series are available to view on our YouTube channel here.