The Omarv TER 190 mower collector found on the Broxtead Estates fills a valuable role in their conservation programme.
The Broxtead Estate, in Woodbridge, Suffolk covers almost 3000 acres, a significant part of which is of national conservation interest. Although 1250 acres is arable the rest of is woodland and parts of it including the Sutton and Hollesley Heaths are Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). These represent one of the largest remaining fragments of the Sandlings Heaths left in Suffolk.
This land is managed in conjunction with the Suffolk Wildlife Trust and works include grazing by the Trust’s flock of (mainly) Hebridean sheep and Exmoor ponies, for scrub clearance and bracken control. This on its own is not enough, there has to be a mechanised approach to assist in maintaining some of the more dense areas of growth and the smaller sections which are not conducive to animal grazing.
Many of the cultivated fields have a 6metre margin at one of the ends set aside for wildlife conservation and wild flower planting. These areas have to be managed and the Omarv TER 190 mower collector comes into its own as the perfect solution for controlling grass and thick brush on heathland.
This top of the range trailed flail mower/collectors are designed for use behind tractors of 90hp plus. They are extremely heavy-duty and are suitable for both grass mowing and thick brush cutting. While suited to sports field and golf course use, they have a wider use in amenity grassland maintenance and heathland management.
As autumn approaches on the estate, once the harvest is finished and the wildflowers have seeded, then the Omarv is used to cut back and gather all the dead growth for forage.
David Andrews has been a working foreman on the estate for 38 years. He is impressed with the Omarv and the sheer amount of material it collects. “It fulfils an important role, not just with clearing the wildflower fields and Heathlands, but also helping to prepare the areas around the gun stands for the annual shoots.”
“We run a very busy, very active estate which is also open to holiday lets. All the grounds have to be controlled in an environmentally friendly way – the Omarv helps us achieve this goal.”
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