Tractor mounted swipe - Inverinan Forest
The photograph is courtesy of the family of George Dey. George took many forestry photographs in his forestry career and many are now shown on this web site. Check under ‘Groups’ and George Dey Collection.
Little is known about this demonstration but George mentions a visit to a swipe in action in 1960.
Duncan Macdougall, Inverinan, has named the driver as Archie MacFadzean at Inverinan Forest about 1960. Archie was also a ploughing tractor operator. The County tractor has Number FC2120 and is one of the narrower track models. Swiping was done for a number of reasons one being the clearing of vegetation in strips along hillside boundary fences to act as fire breaks. Fire could still cross them if wind was taking fire directly onto them but there was some chance of starting a back burning fire from the trace to meet the main fire. Alternatively a strip of vegetation could be burnt to act as a fire trace in the late spring next to the swiped trace which acted as a reasonable safe edge to carry out this operation.
Any information on the operator and tractor is welcome.
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Groups: Forestry Areas, Forestry in Action, George Dey Forestry Collection, Other Vehicles and Machines