Wednesday 25 January 2017

Steering Group Meeting -


Thank you to the members of the review Steering Group who were able to attend the meeting at Trochry on Wednesday, 25 January.

We are making good progress but the pressure is building to bring our ideas together into a final form.      However, the way forward to complete the development of the revised Code is becoming clearer, and this is the proposed programme for issuing further versions of the Code for comment:
  • A revised draft will be prepared for issue by 31 January 2017.  
    • This will incorporate the discussion at the meeting and other minor amendments.
    • This version will be sent to all the delegates attending the first three workshops.
  • The feedback from these workshops will be considered, and other amendments or additional drafting will be introduced to the Code, at this stage.
  • A further revised draft will be issued to all delegates attending the workshop at Battleby on 14 March.
  • A final version of the Code, for submission to the Scottish Government, will be prepared after the Battleby meeting.  
    • The Steering Group will be asked to provide input to this final version during a meeting that will be organised in late March. 
We start the workshop programme on 7 February at Carfraemill,  and we have a good mix of delegates attending all the workshops.  I reminded the Steering Group that the purpose of these workshops is to gather views of practitioners about the Code, and I am aiming to establish what practitioners want from the Code. We will then compare this with the revised version that we have produced.

There is plenty still to do, but I am encouraged by the enthusiasm for developing the revised Code  from the members of the Steering Group, and as demonstrated by the number of people wishing to attend the workshops.

Monday 16 January 2017

Muirburn Code Review - January Update

Activity has continued over the festive period and drafting work on the Code has continued at a pace.  This will be made available in printed form before the workshops and also on the www.muirburncode.co.uk website - there is a technical problem with the website at the moment, but this will be resolved in the next few days.


Additional Information

The amount of additional information we will be providing as part of the Code is increasing.  
  • It had always been anticipated that some more detail on muirburn for grazing management would be useful, and this was endorsed by the Steering Group during the meeting last month and a sub-group is working to develop this.  
  • I will be meeting with SEPA, this week, and this may identify a need for further guidance on water management.
  • Although some of the items on the list in the latest version of of the Code may not be completed initially, the full list of proposed Additional Information is at the bottom of this post.

Workshops

There is a good level of interest in the workshops from a  diversity of delegates - see the flyer for more details.  There is still space for more delegates, but we need to remember that the aim of these workshops is capture views from people with experience of muirburn, therefore I am not looking for large numbers.  It may be the case that a small number of experienced people will provide a better outcome than larger numbers.  An outreach programme to promote the messages contained in the revised Code will be considered separately.  Currently, the numbers attending (including the 'home' team) are:

Carfraemill
17
Skye
21
Edinglassie
19
Battleby
16


List of planned Additional Information

1
To burn, to cut or to do nothing
Drafted
2
Offences & Legislation
Drafted
3
Water management
Requirement TBC
4
Fire Behaviour and Effects, and the Relationship with Wildfire.
Drafted
5
Burning Plan / Ignition options
In draft
6
Muirburn on Peatland
Drafted
7
Muirburn for grazing management
To be drafted
8
Grouse moor management
Drafted
9
Burning Equipment
Add Photographs / video clips
10
Cutting Equipment
Link to MF Heather Cutting project
11
Glossary
By hyperlink in web-based version
12
List of References
To be drafted?
13
Reading List
Link to MB Code website