Ladybank Forest Squad and Trial Planter
Photograph courtesy of Will Anderson who worked in the Tulliallan area before starting as a Trainee forester in North East Fife prior to going to Newton Rigg in 1986.
This photograph shows the Ladybank Squad, L - R Jock Wilkie, Hugh Cavanagh, Jock Keiller and Graham Clark in Ladybank forest getting ready to give the Pottiputki Planting system a trial. They are perhaps a bit sceptical of the system!
The equipment was designed for the planting of container grown trees which were carried in the tray on the back. The tubular planter nose was pushed into the ground with the aid of a foot step and the little gate at the bottom levered open with another foot lever. The plug of peat medium with tree was inserted into the top of the Planter tube and dropped down the tube to sit in the space in the soil made by the opening gate. The planter there after was lifted carefully leaving the tree plug sitting well into the ground. The universal planting tool, the heel of the boot, was then judiciously employed to firm it properly in its place.
It was never a success in Scotland because the tree plugs were expensive to produce, heavy to carry and slow to plant in comparison with bare rooted tree stock.
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Groups: Forestry Areas, Groups of people, Tools, equipment and clothing