A new survey on a fire-ravaged site has shed light on the struggle for natural environments to recover from catastrophic events.

In 2018, a wildfire broke out across the heathlands, peatlands and woodlands at Smithills near Bolton in Lancashire. Such was the extent of the fire, it threatened to engulf nearby properties and caused huge damage to wildlife.

During weeks of burning, where emergency services worked day and night for 41 days to tackle the blaze, a third of the 1,700-acre site was destroyed, including plants and trees. Animals were dispersed, with the moorland resembling a charred landscape.