AFTER 41-days firefighters have officially stepped down.

Now, it is down to nature to help the acres of burnt moorland to recover from the environmental and ecological holocaust that was the Winter Hill fire.

More than 4,000 acres of moorland were affected by the blaze, which broke out just days after the Saddleworth Moor fire with one firefighter describing the situation as "unprecedented."

Now crews have moved out, an assessment of the devastation will take place ­— and members of the public are urged to play their part in helping the moorland to recover as footpaths reopened.

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Professor Prof Chris Evans, Biogeochemist at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, said: "Almost all moorland fires are started by people – often accidentally, due to things like cigarettes or portable barbecues, but sometimes intentionally. The hot, dry, breezy conditions we’re experiencing at the moment allow fires to establish and spread rapidly, and more hot dry weather due to climate change is likely to lead to more fires ­— but to start a fire something, and usually someone, has to ignite it."

He added: "The carbon in the peat has accumulated over thousands of years, so releasing this to the atmosphere will contribute to global warming in the same way as burning fossil fuels.

"The moorlands around Manchester have been soaking up atmospheric pollution since the start of the Industrial Revolution, so there is a risk that the fires could release some of this pollution back into the air or water.

"The ecological damage resulting from major fires can be severe. The loss of vegetation cover and damage to soils can trigger erosion, the timing for ground-nesting birds is terrible, and the recovery of moorland plants is likely to be slow, particularly for the ‘wetland’ species that are critical to the ecology of peatlands. "The vegetation on the moors around Manchester is still recovering from over a century of industrial air pollution, and huge efforts have been made in recent years to re-wet and restore these ecosystems, so fires like this represent a major setback to those efforts."

United Utilities said it would be working with the government to restore the moorland.

A spokesman for United Utilities said: "But while conditions are dry and the area is recovering, it will still be really important that people take a great deal of care and keep to the designated footpaths.

“In the longer term, the restoration of the moorland, which is also a site of special scientific interest (SSSI), is something we will be working closely on with Natural England.

"The steps we have already taken to protect water quality have worked really well.

"Regular monitoring samples taken from the affected reservoirs, feeder streams and inlets in and around Winter Hill indicate there are no issues with water pollution."

David Goode, public rights of way manager for Lancashire County Council, said: "We're continuing to work with the fire service and other partners to manage the recovery phase of the emergency incident, and are now in the process of reopening these areas.

"It’s important that people stick to the public paths for now to avoid any further damage to the environment and allow it to recover."