Park Rangers say Ben Lomond fire 'devastating' for woodland project
The wild fire took hold on Monday on the slopes of the Munro peak
Last updated 24th Mar 2022
Park rangers will be out on Ben Lomond again today, trying to assess the scale of the damage caused by a huge fire that took hold on Monday.
It's a part of a slope on Scotland's most southerly Munro which has just started to regenerate, having been badly damaged over time by grazing deer.
It burned for almost a day before finally being extinguished on Tuesday.
Teams are trying to work out if it was started by a dropped cigarette.
Ranger Alistair Ekklesworth says it wipes out years of work: "It is devastating. We're walking through areas of blackened grass and heather. There are rowans, willows and birches which have steadily been gaining height over the last few years and were starting to show signs of growth."
"Some trees could pull through. It has set us back. One positive is that we only completed the deer fence to protect the area back in 2020, so it's still quite a young project".
"It's still got time to bounce back and show potential to become natural woodland. At the moment all we 're doing is taking stock, we'll need to see how the trees respond over the next couple for months and take it from there."
The National Trust for Scotland thanked the public for their support and concern.
One theory is that the blaze was started by a dropped cigarette, but the team don't know yet for sure. People are again being reminded to be extremely careful with cigarettes and litter on Scotland's walking routes and hills.
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