The planning of drainage in forest plantations
In the attached PDF there is a series of Forestry Commission papers and memos courtesy of Jim Christie, Crook of Devon (a former senior mechanical engineer in the Forestry Commission)covering the period from 1960 through to 1970.
The topic exercising the minds of the senior silvicultural, research and engineering staff at that time was the formulation of an effective policy on forest drainage on a wide range of different soils, forest crops and ground conditions that employed best proven practice, utilised the most cost efficient systems and took advantage of ongoing rapid advances in mechanisation. Students of forestry history may be interested in the direction of the arguments and the thought processes of how the age old process of draining land evolved in forestry during the era of initial and increased mechanisation.
There appears to have been a long running Technical Committee that focussed on drainage and it is interesting to see the varied view points, the locations, departments and countries visited. A number of experimental and demonstration sites are described (briefly). The number of types of machines put forward for trials is bewildering in today’s context and demonstrates the extraordinary engineering vitality at that time. Most were under powered, hydraulics not yet the norm and many were simply not suitable for the more arduous forest conditions. There certainly seems to have been a significant emphasis on depth of drain with being deeper believed to be better in most cases.
The list of the names of personnel involved is extensive and not complete. Note that first names were rarely used if at all, initials seldom and frequently only the surname written:
R F Wood – Conservator Research T R Peace William J Blair Roger Lines J W L Zehetmayr
M V Edwards A I Fraser A N Ede Dr W H Hinson -Soils research Dr D F Fourt -Soils Research
Arnold J Grayson S Walker Col. R G Shaw Mr Semple D W Henman S A Neustein
J P Verel Mr Johnston Mr Holmes E F Granfield – Directorate Engineer Wm C Anderson
Mr Rouse Mr Inglis Mr Oram Mr Walsh Mr Beasley Mr Waller Mr Blane Mr Cadman
Mr Miltham Mr West D A Mithen C D MacMahon J N Kennedy H V S Dier G G M Taylor
D M Hughes B Tippping Dr Binns
The list of the early drainage/ditching machines is very impressive but in this folder only a little info on outputs and suitability:
‘Shawnee’ hydraulic back actor tractor mounted by Steel Fabricators
‘McConnel Ditcher’ tractor mounted
‘Sherma’ hydraulic back actor tractor mounted by Bray Construction Equipment Ltd
‘Massey Ferguson’ hydraulic back actor tractor mounted by Massey Ferguson Ltd
‘Sapper Ditcher' pulled frame with bucket and tractor mounted hydraulics by Bomford and Evershed Ltd
‘Kilworth Ditcher’ pulled bucket and emptied by hydraulics tractor mounted by L W Hutt Ltd
‘Baker Ditcher’ flail type endless drain excavator side of tractor mounted by Whittington Engineering Co
‘Cole Ditcher’ tipping scoop hydraulic, tractor mounted by W & D Cole
‘Walker Doe Ditcher’ hydraulic back actor for tracked machine by E Doe and Sons
‘Carter Ditcher’ jib and scoop hydraulic tractor mounted by Carter Brothers(Billingshurst) Ltd
‘Becfab Ditcher’lattice jib with scoop hydraulic tractor mounted by Becfab (Engineers) Ltd
‘Leeford Ditcher’ bucket moving along boom hydraulic tractor mounted by F A Hughes and Co
‘Dinkum Digger’ hydraulic back actor mounted on wheeled or tracked tractors by Whitlock Bros
‘Weldryte Ditcher’ cross drag scoop on hydraulic arm tractor mounted by Weldryte Ltd
‘Arden Ditcher’ angle iron arm with bucket hydraulic tractor mounted by Richard Smalley (Engineers) Ltd
‘Graber Ditcher’ cross drag scoop mounted hydraulic tractor mounted by B O Sturgis
‘Priestman Cub’ drag line self contained machine with long jib by Priestman Bros
‘JCB Excavator’ hydraulic back actor assembly fitted to Fordson or Nuffield tractors by J C Bamford Ltd
‘Stanhay Super Ditchmaster’ grab operated on slewing arm hydraulic tractor mounted by Stanhay (Ashford) Ltd
‘Berson Ditcher’ scoop on arm pivoting on a jib hydraulic tractor mounted by Ministry of Agriculture
This selection contains more specific machine combinations and hints at the increasing use of tracked machines, four wheeled tractors and a reduced list of excavator assemblies. The problems of drainage in existing plantations and in felled plantations segregated the types of machines from those used in open hill or peat land. The high unit costs of excavator based machines persuaded some work to be carried out on the use of large tractors and drainage ploughs to ‘barge’ their way through existing young plantations with high water tables and cut new drains pre first thinning.
Single Mould board Cuthbertson Plough
Mole Drainage ploughs
Glenamoy Drainage plough
Shawnee Warrior mounted on a County Bogmaster
Roadless 4 x 4 reduction gearbox and NIAE drain cleaning machine
FC Conveyor Drain Cleaning Machine
FC Bucket and Rotor Drain Cleaning Machine
The Melio Drain Cleaning Machine
Massey Ferguson 702 with back actor on drain cleaning in plantation
Ford County super 6 with 4 large wheel drive drain cleaning in plantation
Long Wide tracked County and single furrow plough drain making in felled plantation
Track Marshall tracked tractor with hydraulic Massey Ferguson back actor fitted draining in felled area
Reversible single mould board Cuthbertson plough in felled plantation
Large Single Mould Board Cuthbertson deep draining plough pulled by two County tractors in first thinning plantations
Back actor machines in first thinning plantations
Mention of Finnish Lokomo plough
Barford Linkol Ditch cleaner trial
Atlas 4 wheel drive digger
Michigan 35A tractor with Camberley digger
Bristol PD52 tracked tractor with PUP digger
International BTD 20 tracked tractor 24 inch wide plates and 33,000lb winch pulling power
County super 4 wheeled drive tractor with Shawnee Warrior digger
Track Marshall 55BHP tracked tractor with 16 inch plates and MF 710 digger
County CD 50 51BHP standard swamp tracked tractor 30 inch plates and MF 710 digger
County CD 50 51BHP extended swamp tracked tractor 30 inch plates and MF 220 digger
County CD 50 51BHP standard swamp tracked tractor 30 inch plates with single furrow deep drainage plough LH and RH throw
County CD 50 51BHP extended swamp tracked tractor 30 inch plates with single furrow deep drainage plough LH and RH throw
Croucher Ditch Cleaner
Alice Holt Flail drain cleaner
There are some considerations on the effects of large scale forest draining on a catchment but no mention of the many thousands of hectares of upland grazing land fairly intensively drained by Cuthbertson draining ploughs at this time.
The PDF is accessed below.
Groups: Forestry Mechanical Engineering Reports , Forestry Records, Booklets and Reports, Other Vehicles and Machines