Wildlife killed in New Forest fire will take ‘decades to recover’

Wildlife in the New Forest which was ravaged by a fire will take decades to recover – with the blaze destroying ancient beech and oak trees which have grown at the site for hundreds of years, according to Forestry England.

The blaze began when a van caught alight on the A31 near Ringwood on August 9 before the fire spread affecting an area of more than 100 hectares – the equivalent of 140 football pitches. Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, assisted by neighbouring services, initially scrambled 26 fire engines and four water carriers to the incident, with crews still remaining on site to ensure the blaze is fully extinguished. A fire service spokesman said that crews on Wednesday began the “huge operation” of clearing up the Heavy Volume Pump hose which delivered more than 85 million litres of water to the incident area. He added: “We still have a reduced presence at the scene of the fire, with firefighters using off-road vehicles to assess the site and check for remaining hotspots.” A Forestry England spokesman said that a specialist team had been mapping the area affected by the fire to assess the level of damage. It also worked with the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust to relocate surviving species to other areas of the forest, although the spokesman said that a “considerable number of wildlife had sadly been destroyed”. The spokesman said: “Large sections of heathland have been burnt removing all vegetation including heathers, gorse and pillwort, a rare plant found in the New Forest. Burning deep into the ground the fire has also destroyed layers of seed banks under the soils. “A significant number of ancient beech and oak trees which have been standing at this site for hundreds of years have also been destroyed as the fire penetrated their root systems. “The strength of the fire at its peak also resulted in the bogs in the area, the most resilient to heat, being burnt and partially destroyed.” He added that Forestry England was working on recovery plans based on the experience gained following a large-scale heathland fire in Wareham, Dorset, in May 2020. The experts plan to use cuttings from heather at another site restored after another fire 40 years ago with the aim of creating a “protective layer” to help the soils recover. Michael Pittock, head of planning and environment at Forestry England said: “It is devastating to walk around the area of the wildfire and see so much destruction especially on heathland which is such a rare and important habitat. “It will take decades for nature to fully recover but there are things we can do to help. “Our teams will be working hard to support the area drawing on their experience of similar incidents and our ongoing restoration of heathlands across the New Forest.” National Highways said in a statement that repair works to the A31 were ongoing and expected to carry on into the weekend. The works have included replacement of at least 1,500 metres of boundary fencing, road resurfacing and several hundred metres of vehicle restraint barrier. The statement said: “These measures are essential for safety reasons to deter animals from entering the road.”

Published: 20/08/2026 by Radio NewsHub