First Draft of a Revised Code Considered

The Steering Group took part in a conference call on Friday, 13th May.  We considered a very first draft of a revised Code and we agreed to establish a series of sub-groups to develop this draft further. These sub-groups will draw on the expertise of steering group members, but we will also draw in knowledge and experience from beyond the Group membership. Please let me know if there is anyone who would like to contribute to the review process.

One of the challenges the Group faces, is to keep the focus on producing a practitioners guide. There is no end to the amount of information that could be placed into a revised Code, but unless we restrict this we will lose the message in verbiage.

We have plenty of issues to address and some of these will be a bit contentious, but the aim remains to produce a draft guide at the end of August. We will then be testing this draft during four workshops between October and March.  The Group will be agreeing locations for these workshops soon, but we will be pleased to hear from anyone with suggestions about where these meetings could be held.

Progress Update

The Review Steering Group met on 15th March and a range of actions were agreed.

We noted that regulation of muirburn started as far back as 1424; the Steering Group's overall aim is to modernise the way we approach muirburn to make it fit for the requirements of 2016, and beyond.  We also need to link the benefits of muirburn to minimising the number of wildfires and their impact.

Muirburn is not just about conservation, sporting enterprises or farming; it is essential that we embrace all current and potential land uses.  The Group will be making sure that recreational and landscape factors are brought into consideration alongside all other interests.

Before a decision is made to employ muirburn techniques, we will be recommending that an assessment is carried out to consider the potential benefits from muirburn against the possible risks.   Also, it will be important to make sure that effective measures to control a fire, once lit, are in place.

A similar assessment will need to be carried out before deciding to use cutting to manage vegetation.  Cutting is not without its risks and potential problems and these need to be considered alongside the potential benefits before starting work.

The Group has started work on drafting a revised version of the Code.  A new feature will be additional guidance that will be published to support the revised Code, and drafting has also started on these sections.  The topics will include how to use muirburn as part of peatland, and grazing management.  This will allow more detailed guidance to be provided on specific topics without burying the key messages of the main Code in additional information that will not be relevant to everyone.

The aim remains to publish a draft of the revised Code by the end of August, this year, and then to test the Code during four workshops, which will be held in different parts of the country.  The venues have yet to be decided and any suggestions will be welcomed.

The Review of the Muirburn Code

This blog has been established to track the progress of the review of the Muirburn Code that will be taking place between now and the end of March 2017.

The Scottish Government has commissioned Scotland's Moorland Forum to carry out the review and this builds on the report that the Muirburn Group of the Forum submitted to the Scottish Government in June 2014, which provided a critique of the existing Code. As Director of the Forum, and chairman of the Muirburn Group, I will be managing the review process, and I will be using the Muirburn section of the Forum's website to provide access to more information.

This review will only be successful if we are able to gather opinion from a wide range of stakeholders.  This blog has a comment facility and I encourage you to provide your views about the review of the Code, and if you feel passionately about the issues, perhaps you might like to help communicate the message through your own network and encourage others to provide their feedback.

The start-up meeting took place last Friday (22 January 2016) and I am now starting to get the project moving.  I am setting up a Steering Group, which is based on the Planning Group that helped to get us to this stage, and this group will be responsible for managing the project.  I will also be setting up a wider Muirburn Group and I will circulate information about the review to members of this group, using newsletters and email traffic, as appropriate.  please let me know if you would like to join the Muirburn Group; no input from you will be required, but being a member of this group will allow you to stay up-to-date with the progress of the review.

The key dates for the review process are as follows:

Muirburn Code review Key dates
1.  Contract start	22 Jan 16
2.  Submit the proposed structure and content of the revised Code	29 Feb 16
3.  Submit the first draft of the Code	31 May 16
4.  Submit the draft revised version of the Code	31 Aug 16
5.  Stakeholder engagement / demonstration events	Oct 16 – Mar 17
6.  Review feedback from events and submit draft final version of the Code	31 Mar 17

Note the the intention is to produce a draft at the end of August and then to test it in four workshops, which will be held in various parts of the country, during the next muirburn season.  

I will place more information on this blog as the project develops.

I hope that you will wish to help the Muirburn Group develop a revised version of the Muirburn Code so that it will be a valuable document for everyone who has some involvement with the management of vegetation by fire and/or cutting.

Simon Thorp