Rejected petition: Reintroduce managed controlled burning to reduce the risk of wildfires
Rejected on
We want the UK Government to urgently reinstate controlled burning as a recognised land management tool to reduce the build-up of vegetation that can fuel wildfires. Controlled burning during the appropriate time must be carried out to help reduce the risk and severity of wildfires.
In recent weeks, the UK has experienced a number of significant wildfires, causing damage to wildlife, habitats, farmland, property and public resources. These fires also produced large amounts of smoke, affecting air quality in many areas, including major towns across England, creating concerns about harmful air pollution and its impact on public health.
The build-up of dry vegetation since controlled burning has been restricted has increased the amount of fuel available for these fires.
Why was this petition rejected?
It’s not clear what the petition is asking the UK Government or Parliament to do.
Petitions need to call on the Government or Parliament to take a specific action.
We're not sure exactly what you'd like the Government or Parliament to do because some vegetation burning is already allowed under certain rules and we're not sure how you'd like these rules to change.
You could start a new petition clearly explaining how you would like the current restrictions to change. For example, how you would like the licensing system to change or how you would like the dates of burning season to change, if these are are things that you're looking for.
Heather and grass burning: rules and when you need a licence: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/heather-and-grass-burning-apply-for-a-licence
The Heather and Grass Management Code 2025: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/heather-and-grass-management-code/heather-and-grass-management-code-2025
We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.