Habitats destroyed by recent wildfires in Wales may require centuries to recover, according to an environmental watchdog. Nick Thomas from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) stated that if fires reach and incinerate peat soils, particularly in upland areas, the regrowth of vegetation could take hundreds of years.
Thomas described 2026 as the worst year on record for wildfires in Wales. Beyond the damage to natural landscapes and wildlife, including habitats for snakes and rare moths, the loss of soil could exacerbate flood risks. Incinerated soil loses its capacity to act as a natural sponge, which helps retain water in high-ground areas.
This summer, Wales experienced several significant wildfires. One major incident in the Rhinogydd mountain range in Gwynedd, an area designated as a National Nature Reserve and a Special Area of Conservation, burned for nearly two weeks and impacted over 2,000 acres. Another fire in Blaenavon, Torfaen, was noticeable from as far away as Cardiff. While the number of wildfires reported in the latter half of July in England and Wales was lower than in 2025, Thomas indicated that the current year has been more severe than any he can recall, potentially marking it as the worst wildfire year on record.
While some damaged areas might recover within a couple of years, the depth of the fire is a critical factor. "If a fire burns into the soil and incinerates the soil... then you've lost hundreds of years worth of soil," Thomas explained. "So it's going to take hundreds of years really for that vegetation to come back in a similar way to what it was."