One hand plants half a million trees for climate resilience; the other drops the only national plan to prepare England for wildfires

A freedom of information request has revealed that a national wildfire risk programme for England, promised in the government’s own climate adaptation plan, was never implemented.

The third national climate adaptation programme, published in July 2023, committed to running a wildfire risk initiative from 2023 to 2027. Its stated aim was to adapt land management to the growing threat. But the programme was shelved before it began. The current government confirmed that the previous administration made the commitment but did not bring it into effect. No replacement or successor plan has been announced.

The gap between promise and delivery is widening on the ground. New data shows many fire and rescue services lack adequate protective clothing and equipment to fight wildfires. That shortfall persists after a series of record-breaking fire seasons. In summer 2025, more than 700 wildfire incidents were recorded in England and Wales, burning between 29,000 and 35,000 hectares of moorland, forest, and grassland. The summer of 2026 then brought further record-breaking blazes after hot, dry weather turned large parts of the countryside into a tinderbox.

Tree planting can contribute to long-term climate resilience, but it does not substitute for a coordinated land-management strategy that prepares communities, property, and ecosystems for fires already arriving. Without such a strategy, fire crews operating without proper protective gear face heightened risk of injury or death, and response times and effectiveness may suffer.

The shelving of the wildfire risk programme raises a direct question about the coherence of England’s climate adaptation efforts. One arm of government is planting trees for a more resilient future; another has quietly dropped the only national plan designed to manage the wildfire threat that is already here.