what is muirburning ?

well see how in those photos in the previous post, theres not a lot of vegetation on them there hills ? well this glorious man made boggy desert is maintained in part by the highly pointless practice of muirburning, whereby estate managers & crofters set fire to the hills in the spring, to burn away any palry grass or heather which had previously attempted to grow there.

It might be to encourage new grass shoots for the grouse, but no-one hunts grouse here, possibly its to encourage new grasses for the plague of over populated un-culled red deer that no-one wants.

But this important thing is its tradition, illegal, life threatening, costs the tax payer squillions , destroys forestry, property, sterilises the soil , kills nesting rare birdies, adds to greenhouse gasses, killed a firefighter from this village in 70's, but hey, its tradition.