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Hope Webb reported for BBC Scotland News that a devastating wildfire swept through the Glen Rosa valley on the Isle of Arran, undoing a decade of conservation work aimed at reintroducing native trees to the area. Kate Sampson, the senior ranger for the National Trust for Scotland on Arran, expressed the heartbreak of watching years of effort go up in flames and acknowledged the need to start over from scratch.
The wildfire, which started on Thursday 10 April and was finally extinguished the following Sunday, destroyed 27,000 trees and claimed the lives of hundreds of reptiles. The aftermath of the blaze left much of the Glen Rosa valley looking desolate, with little evidence of the conservation work that had been ongoing. The valley, once a native woodland, was stripped bare centuries ago due to human activities such as grazing sheep and deer, prompting efforts to reintroduce various tree species.
Efforts to combat the fire involved not only firefighters but also local volunteers who worked tirelessly to contain the blaze. Despite the challenges of tackling the wildfire, including dry conditions and strong winds, the devastation of the Glen Rosa valley goes beyond just the loss of trees. Kate Sampson and a team of naturalists found numerous dead animals in the aftermath, including slow worms, adders, frogs, and lizards.
Initial investigations into the cause of the wildfire suggested it may have started when sunlight passed through a discarded glass bottle, igniting dry ground. However, the exact cause has not been confirmed by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. The severity of the blaze led to a significant number of calls to control rooms during the wildfire warning period. Ricky Donachie, the SFRS station commander for Arran, emphasized the importance of heeding warnings and avoiding activities like lighting fires and barbeques in rural areas. Despite the setback, efforts to replant trees in the Glen Rosa valley are already underway, with a fundraising appeal generating £12,000 and nearly 100 volunteers planting 6,000 trees over the weekend
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