Ploughing / draining trial in Newcastleton Forest
Forestry Commission copyright image of Forest Research photographs courtesy of Glenn Brearley, Roslin. Nil Ref No
No information or reference number and quality of photograph is low but this appears to have been part of an experiment on felled wet sites in an attempt to overcome the problems with drainage and water logging of the root systems. A standard humpy plough frame has been fitted with a vertical blade on the bottom of which a large bulb or metal bottle has been fixed in order to form a large mole drain at about 90 cms below the surface. The plough unit is pulled by two tractors which may be Fiat 100s but difficult to judge but there would be a heavy drawbar pull when the plough was crossing through the stiff clay and the old root systems of felled trees.
Part of the experimental site seems to have been on an unplanted grass land area and in some of the images the ground heave can be seen after the mole plough has passed through. There is no information on further treatment to the site after mole ploughing. Photographs by Donald Thomson 1975.
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Groups: Forest Research, Forestry Areas, Forestry in Action, Tractors Ploughs and Drainage Machines