The summer of 2026 has brought one of the UK’s most severe wildfire seasons in recent years, fuelled by extreme heat and exceptionally dry conditions. More than 500 fires were recorded across the country in July alone, affecting agricultural land and moorland, heathland, and upland grasslands, landscapes that store carbon, regulate water, reduce flood risk and support some of the UK’s most valuable biodiversity.

While the visible damage caused by wildfire is clear, the impacts on soil health are much harder to see. The project is led by Professor Davey Jones of Bangor University’s School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, working with colleagues Professor Dave Chadwick, Professor Robert Griffiths, Dr Emily Cooledge and Dr Karina Marsden.

“Soil is often called the UK’s forgotten ecosystem, but it does an enormous amount of work for us below our feet, locking away carbon, filtering our drinking water and supporting the plants and animals that our landscapes depend on,” said Professor Jones. “Immediately after a fire, the soil can tell us a great deal about how badly it has been affected. But some of those signals can change rapidly following rainfall, erosion and vegetation recovery. That’s why it is so important that we are able to get into the field quickly following wildfires.”