Finding Hidden Wildfire Hotspots Beneath the Forest Floor in the Cairngorms

The Cairngorms National Park is home to a quarter of the UK's rare and endangered species. But in the summer of 2026, a wildfire tore through 33 square kilometres of this landscape—and beneath the forest floor, fires are still burning. Tech Now's Shiona McCallum spent time with the team working in the park to see how cutting-edge technology is being used to find hidden hotspots, monitor the damage and help vulnerable landscapes recover. The report shows how tech can detect fires that continue to smolder underground, out of sight, long after the visible flames are gone. The segment highlights the intersection of conservation and technology, demonstrating how monitoring tools support efforts to protect one of the UK's most important natural habitats and aid its recovery after a major fire.