Archive Article: 1998/02/06
Mechanically replanting trees in cleared woodlands is not without its problems. Old stumps, discarded branches and volumes of brushwood can cause havoc with systems built purely for use in the cultivated field. Latest machine designed to avoid these problems comes from Danish company Egedal in the form of a two-seater, single-row machine. The company claims it will plant trees anywhere a tractor can be driven – through branches and brush, and even into rocky ground. And the machine can also be operated in an offset position both to the right and left of the tractor, which allows it to plant trees between stump lines without the tractor having to continually run over the stumps. Tractor mounted, the Egedal planter first breaks the planting groove with a large disc. This is then followed by a long blade which creates an open groove into which the trees are planted. Once in the ground two angled discs firm the soil around the roots and the task is complete. The machine costs about £10,000.