Armoured Support for Grassland
A 15 ton tractor with 10mm of armour to protect the operator from unexploded ordnance is used to clear overgrown vegetation from Danger Areas at DTE Salisbury Plain.Salisbury Plain grassland is considered to be of international importance and supports many rare species of plant, insect and bird. Because of this, over half of the site is classed as SSSI – Site of Special Scientific Interest.
The greatest threat to this fragile habitat comes from scrub encroachment which shades and kills off the grassland. Organic farm stewardship on much of the area rules out the use of chemical and the chance of encountering unexploded ordnance in the training area is very real. To overcome this complex logistical challenge Landmarc’s rural team at Salisbury Plain use the Armtrac - a heavily modified agricultural tractor, armour plated and originally developed to clear minefields - to halt the spread of destructive scrub vegetation.
After an area has been cleared by the Armtrac, Landmarc Rural Estate Workers use armoured tractors to mulch the remaining vegetation bringing the land to smoother finish and significantly reducing scrub re-growth. The mulching process is significant as it allows grassland to regenerate and grazing or military training to re-commence far quicker than areas which remain untouched after the Armtrac’s initial work.