Coastal protection at Culbin Forest
Photograph courtesy of Moray and Aberdeenshire Forest District with particular help from Lesley Hutcheson who collected a series of general photographs found in the Newton Office and filed them.
Series of photographs Forestry Commission photograph numbers B7243 – 7260 thought to have been taken around 1972 when a report was written up on the work. See PDF for more views of groynes and baskets and text from report a section of which is shown below:
‘In 1968 the problem had become acute and a pilot protection scheme was drawn up. An unsuccessful attempt was made to interest the Moray County Council as Coast Protection Authority in the Scheme and finally the Commission went ahead with their first scheme in September of that year.
The foreshore consists of a sandy beach, constantly varying in level, backed by high sandhills which were being regularly eroded at the base by high tides particularly during north easterly gales. The first scheme was to provide 9
permeable groynes varying between 80 yards and 25 yards in length on a long and short pattern, the groynes being spaced at approximately 80 yard intervals. The permeable groyne pattern was chosen to allow a slowing down of the longshore current (which always flows westward, but more strongly on the flood tide) and so allow deposit of the sand carried by the water. By using upright piles with 3"- 4n openings no sudden drop occurs in the beach line. In addition to the groynes, wave screens consisting of posts at 2' 0" intervals with a waling fixed 6" above shore level, were constructed along the front of the sandhills parallel to the shore. These broke the force of the waves and collected sand on the landward side. Experience shows that they are most effective about 15’ 0" from the foot of the sandhills. While we experienced excellent results in the way of sand build up, both with the groynes and wavescreens, as they only had a length of 6! 0", with 3' 0" buried in the sand, they were very vulnerable to damage if a storm suddenly lowered the shore level, and this was particularly the case with the groynes. The Moray Fisheries asked for ramps to be constructed over the groynes to allow their fisheries tractor to pass over. In subsequent schemes this was not found necessary.’
Does anyone have an up todate photograph of this location?
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Groups: Forestry Areas, Forestry in Action