Tubed seedling planting – Possible FC library Image - Circa 1974 possibly
The photograph was provided by the late Finlay MacRae who was a District Officer in the Forestry Commission based in Dingwall at the time. The images are courtesy of his daughter Donna.
The origin of this image and the worker’s name is not known. The little seedling plants in plastic tubes split down the side are being inserted into single furrow peat ploughing at points where a ‘step’ has been hand cut out. The step provided some shelter for the seedling and allowed the roots to reach the decomposing vegetation layer below the furrow more easily.
A brilliant idea where by tree species planting programmes could be provided with young trees in 12 weeks rather than three years of preplanning required for regular nursery stock. Downside was that the seedling’s survival rate was often quite low and regular beating up was almost always required. Sometimes used when tree species shortages from regular nursery stock were acute for planting programmes. However the technique could only be used efficiently on peat ploughing and on low weed growth sites.
The seedling container was carried by the planter in a tray and the little tubes with seedling inserted by hand into a stainless steel 15mm diameter plumbing pipe fashioned for the purpose. The planting end of pipe was partially cat away to allow the tubed seedling to be inserted sideways and a depth stop plate was brazed on. The tool was pushed into the peat to the depth of the stop plate and then withdrawn leaving the little seedling in its split plastic tube behind.
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Groups: Forestry in Action