MACHINERY
MULCHING RAB Easton gets to grips with mulching
O
ver the last few years, I have been fortunate to spend time with Justin Kingwell of Kingwell Holdings Ltd who carries out mulching operations throughout the UK and I have visited TMC Cancela, a Spanish manufacturer of forestry and agricultural mulchers. Mulching was an area of forestry I had little experience of and it was interesting to discover how mulching can improve and protect the health of a forest. Visiting forestry exhibitions, you begin to get an insight into just how important mulching has become; there are small remotely operated, tractor mounted, excavator boom mounted and purpose built mulchers capable of working in most forestry conditions. An interesting fact I discovered was that the majority of mulching contracts are seasonal and take place from October until the end of March. This puts
a considerable amount of pressure on operators and the reliability of equipment when working to such strict time constraints. Using traditional land clearing methods can be slow and expensive. Leaving bare soil exposed to the elements can cause soil erosion and leave it prone to being blown or washed away. This can result in poor water drainage or insufficient soil to support new and healthy forests. Mulching is a precise method of clearing around established trees with minimal ground disturbance and without causing any damage to the tree stems and root system. Healthy trees and forests are far better equipped to deal with attacks from insect and fungal diseases. Adding a top layer of mulch prevents soil erosion and keeps it in place. It suppresses weeds and at the same time, offers other long-term advantages. Firstly, the soil benefits from the nutrients contained in the mulch which nourish and enrich the land - this helps the trees to grow healthily during establishment. Secondly, the planting of new trees is more cost-effective as it is an easier and safer environment for the tree planters to
work in. The risk of wildfires is reduced with mulching as the fuel sources on the ground are eliminated. Mulching fallen branches, dead trees and other fuel sources also acts as a preventative measure for fires by decreasing the heat intensity of a forest fire. This debris would normally serve as a fire ladder which enables fires to elevate quickly to the crowns of the trees where they are more difficult to contain and control. Mulchers are capable of operating in challenging >> forestry conditions and are therefore
1
FORESTRY & TIMBER NEWS • April 2020 45
