project - EIP-AGRI Operational Group
Comparison of the relative environmental benefits of low impact machinery in small scale farm woodlands
Comparison of the relative environmental benefits of low impact machinery in small scale farm woodlands
Objectives
This use of low impact machinery has the potential to offer great benefits to the small woodland owner in Wales. They can assist in improving biodiversity by re-introducing management within under-managed woodlands, while minimising the risk of soil loss (diffuse pollution) to water courses. This project aims to illustrate the relative merits of the different types of management and identify the most appropriate methods of minimising environmental disturbance. Key recommendations will be developed concerning the best practice for managing harvesting operations in these high risk (sloping) on-farm locations.
Objectives
Mae gan y defnydd o beiriannau effaith isel y potensial i gynnig manteision mawr i ffermwyr gyda choetiroedd bach yng Nghymru. Gallent helpu i gynyddu a gwella bioamrywiaeth drwy ail-gyflwyno rheolaeth mewn coetiroedd sydd heb eu rheoli, gan leihau'r perygl o golli pridd (llygredd gwasgaredig) i gyrsiau dŵr. Nod y prosiect yw dangos buddion y gwahanol fathau o reoli gan geisio canfod y dull mwyaf addas o leihau’r effaith negyddol ar yr amgylchedd. Bydd argymhellion allweddol yn cael eu datblygu yn ymwneud â'r arfer gorau ar gyfer rheoli gwaith cynhaeafu coed mewn lleoliadau risg uchel (llethrau) ar dir fferm.
Activities
The project seeks to quantify the volume of water and sediment concentration losses from woodland rides following normal forestry activities by 2 low impact tractors.
They will be comparing the relative losses from four treatment areas, including a control (no harvesting), conventional harvesting, and two novel low-impact forestry methods using an alpine tractor and a tracked harvester vehicle.
The woodland sites will be surveyed and four representative study areas will be identified based on their uniformity in surface and subsurface site conditions (such as soil type, slope, stand density etc.).
Activities
Mae’r prosiect yn ceisio mesur faint o ddŵr a gwaddodion sy’n cael eu colli o lwybrau coetir yn dilyn defnyddio’r tractorau effaith isel ar gyfer gwaith arferol yn y goedwig.
Byddan nhw’n cymharu’r colledion o bedair ardal drin sy’n cynnwys ardal reoli (dim cynaeafu), cynaeafu confensiynol, a dau ddull effaith isel newydd mewn coetiroedd sy’n defnyddio tractor alpaidd a cherbyd cynhaeafu â thrac.
Bydd y safleoedd coetir yn cael eu harsylwi a bydd pedwar safle astudio cynrychiadol yn cael eu canfod yn seiliedig ar ba mor unffurf yw cyflwr yr wyneb a’r is-wyneb y safle (er enghraifft, math o bridd, llethr, dwysedd coedwig a.y.b.).
Project details
- Main funding source
- Rural development 2014-2020 for Operational Groups
- Rural Development Programme
- 2014UK06RDRP004 United Kingdom - Rural Development Programme (Regional) - Wales
Location
- Main geographical location
- Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan
€ 45171
Total budget
Total contributions from EAFRD, national co-financing, additional national financing and other financing.
Resources
1 Practice Abstracts
The use of low impact machinery has the potential to offer great benefits to the small woodland owner in Wales. These are small light weight machines such as tracked skid steers and articulated alpine tractors that have less impact on the topsoil and can also be used in less favourable weather conditions.
1) The project seeks to quantify the volume of water and sediment concentration losses from woodland rides following normal forestry activities by 2 low impact tractors.
2) They will be comparing the relative losses from four treatment areas, including a control (no harvesting), conventional harvesting, and two novel low-impact forestry methods using an alpine tractor and a tracked harvester vehicle.
3) The woodland sites will be surveyed and four representative study areas will be identified based on their uniformity in surface and subsurface site conditions (such as soil type, slope, stand density etc.).
After treatments have been imposed, the base of the slopes in each of the four monitoring areas will have runoff and erosion monitoring equipment installed. Runoff collected will be sample bottles and submitted promptly for laboratory analysis to determine suspended sediment, total carbon, total nitrogen and total phosphorus concentrations.
Key recommendations will be developed concerning the best practice for managing harvesting operations in these high risk (sloping) on-farm locations.
Mae gan y defnydd o beiriannu effaith isel y potensial i gynnig manteision mawr i'r perchennog coetiroedd bach yng Nghymru. Mae'r rhain yn beiriannau ysgafn a bach, megis 'skid steers' a thractorau alpaidd wedi'u mynegi sydd â llai o effaith ar y pridd uchaf a gellir eu defnyddio hefyd mewn tywydd llai ffafriol.
1) Mae’r prosiect yn ceisio mesur faint o ddŵr a gwaddodion sy’n cael eu colli o lwybrau coetir yn dilyn defnyddio’r tractorau effaith isel ar gyfer gwaith arferol yn y goedwig.
2) Byddan nhw’n cymharu’r colledion o bedair ardal drin sy’n cynnwys ardal reoli (dim cynaeafu), cynaeafu confensiynol, a dau ddull effaith isel newydd mewn coetiroedd sy’n defnyddio tractor alpaidd a cherbyd cynhaeafu â thrac.
3) Bydd y safleoedd coetir yn cael eu harsylwi a bydd pedwar safle astudio cynrychiadol yn cael eu canfod yn seiliedig ar ba mor unffurf yw cyflwr yr wyneb a’r is-wyneb y safle (er enghraifft, math o bridd, llethr, dwysedd coedwig a.y.b.).
Ar ôl i'r coed cael eu cynhaeafu, bydd offer monitro dŵr ffo ac erydiad yn cael eu gosod ar waelod pob llethr ym mhob un o'r pedwar maes monitro. Bydd y dŵr ffo syn cael ei gasglu a'i samplu cyn cael ei ddadansoddi gan labordy i bennu llwydd crog, cyfanswm carbon, cyfanswm nitrogen a chyfanswm crynodiadau ffosfforws.
Bydd argymhellion allweddol yn ymwneud â'r arfer gorau ar gyfer rheoli gweithrediadau cynhaeafu yn y lleoliadau risg uchel (llethrau) ar y fferm.
Contacts
Project coordinator
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Will John
Project coordinator
Project partners
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Andrew Thomas
Project partner
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Ian Nicholas
Project partner
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Michael Lewis
Project partner