Farm and rural workers who battled Scotland’s largest ever wildfires are to receive grants to replace equipment wrecked in the fight to contain the blazes at Carrbridge and Dava.
Scottish Land and Estates (SLE) will administer funding from the Cairngorms National Park Authority to help cover the cost of equipment repairs and replacements.
The wildfires, which raged across 11,827 hectares of moorland and woodland in late June and early July, were the most extensive in Scotland’s history.
An initial fund of £10,000 has been set aside to help compensate for damages. More than 100 people from 33 rural businesses, including 27 estates, joined forces with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service during the crisis.
The combined value of the specialist firefighting equipment deployed — from ATVs and fogging units to tractors, diggers and water bowsers — has been estimated at £3.1 million.
Ross Ewing, director of Moorland at SLE, said the scale of the wildfires was “unprecedented”. He praised farmers, gamekeepers and land managers who rushed to assist, noting that “without their involvement the devastation caused could have been even worse.”
He welcomed the new grant scheme, saying: “It is absolutely vital to replace damaged equipment in order to be ready for future wildfires, which are sadly becoming more common.”
Ewing also pointed to a recent SLE report highlighting gaps in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s wildfire response capacity, calling for “an integrated response” to ensure better preparedness.
Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie expressed gratitude to those who battled the flames, some of which continued to smoulder for weeks.
“We owe an incredible gratitude to the gamekeepers, land managers and all who worked with them to extinguish the wildfires,” he said.
“I hope these grants will help repair the damage done to their machinery and demonstrate how they are recognised as absolutely vital in protecting our landscapes from fire.”
Colin McClean, head of land management at the Cairngorms National Park Authority, stressed the wider significance of the funding.
“The wildfires earlier this summer had a huge impact on communities across the region. We are grateful to the hundreds of gamekeepers and land managers who helped fight fires on the ground, and to the estates who offered up their specialist equipment.
"This grant is to help with the costs of damage that occurred in helping bring the wildfires under control and sits within the wider context of our Integrated Wildfire Management Plan for the National Park.”
The grants are intended solely to repair or replace equipment damaged in the firefighting effort. Rural businesses wishing to submit a claim are advised to contact SLE directly.
