On my way back from Helmsley today I saw smoke from the fires on the Moors.Nothing to be alarmed about as they happen every year at this time. The gamekeepers on the moor are burning the old woods of the ling [heather] so that new shoots will come later.Heather is then kept young and grows with vigour.If it were left it would grow lank and long having very little nutritionally value. Grouse bred on these moor and their staple diet is heather .Sheep also like the new sweet growth. Sometimes these fires will stretch up to a kilometre. Usually it is done in small scale sections on a rotation cycle