LATEST NEWS

Flotation tracks pave the way for innovative tree harvesting in the Yorkshire Dales

UPM Tilhill, working in partnership with the National Trust, has embarked upon an ambitious venture in the Yorkshire Dales that will see nearly 40 acres of non-native conifers cleared from peat bogs on a remote site on Malham Moor.

National Trust Property Manager, Martin Davies, said: “The felling of the trees on a site like this was always going to be tricky, but with the help of our contractor, UPM Tilhill, I think we have found an ideal solution”.

The five plantations situated above Darnbrook Farm were planted between 1974 and 1980, before the National Trust took over the care of the land. Each pocket of woodland consists of the non-indigenous sitka spruce which, if left unchecked, would become detrimental to the existing peat soils. Their removal will allow the regeneration of moorland species such as heather and bilberry from the natural seed bank that lies dormant in the underlying soil.

UPM Tilhill’s North West District, working in association with Mike Gillette of MG Harvesting Ltd, have begun work to clear the trees using an innovative technique that will see all harvested material re-worked on site to create flotation tracks.

The process involves the harvesting of trees in their entirety, with branches intact. These trees are then baled by a John Deere specialist baling head, mounted on a forwarder base unit, before being cut in lengths of 3 – 6 metres. Bales are then forwarded across the peaty, boggy terrain where they will create flotation tracks able to support the movement of heavy machinery as it moves between the different tree blocks. The weight of the laden machines will depress the conifer bales into the ground allowing the peat to permeate through the bales which, once contaminated, will recolonise with the natural vegetation of the fell. The bales will be bound using sisal, a natural string product, which will decompose through time.

“UPM Tilhill’s approach enables us to maintain the integrity and delicate ecology of the peat bogs at the same time as minimising the impact of timber extraction on the local population and the local highway infrastructure," added Martin Davies. “Peat is a precious resource. Not only is it the fabric on which the landscape is built, but it is also vital to our environment. If we disturb the peat too much the carbon that is stored within it can be released into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. So you can see why it is worth taking these precautions to ensure the ground is protected and that this work does not leave a scar on the landscape. This project will hopefully benefit the local black grouse population as we create areas of ungrazed moorland and woodland edge that will be ideal habitat for them.”

Not all the plantations will be felled. Some areas provide nesting sites for buzzard and there is also some natural regeneration of native trees within the central block, and both these areas will be thinned and retained.

UPM Tilhill is scheduled to complete the contract, valued in the region of £100,000, by mid-November

-Ends-
For further information please contact:
Ruth Roy
01892 861008/07771 940494
ruth.roy@upm-kymmene.com

Notes to editors
UPM Tilhill is the UK’s largest timber harvesting company, harvesting over 2.0 million tonnes per year, and is the market leader in UK forest management. The company provides a full range of consultancy and contracting services to the forest owner and forestry investor. In 2005, the company received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade. Further information is available on the company’s website at www.upm-tilhill.com.