Knock Farm, which we visted on 16 August 2022, is in the county of Moray (OS: NJ545537) and is located just south of the Knock Hill, a conical feature rising to 430 metres in elevation and a familiar landmark in the North East landscape. The land is owned and managed by Roger Polson and his wife Beth, and is worked on organic principles. There are around 400ha of diverse woodlands, and the farmhouse and grain drier are fuelled by timber grown on the farm, which is chipped and fed into the wood burning system.Following a talk from Roger about his aims and objectives for the farm, our group of about 20 headed off in 4x4 vehicles to look at the Scots pine and birch wood that is slowly beginning to become established on the mid to upper slopes of the Bin Hill. Some planting has occurred, but natural regeneration of pine, rowan and birch is also helping the area to fill in quickly. Nutrient-poor, peaty podzol, and peaty rankers derived from Dalradian quartzites of the Durnhill soil association, are the most extensive soils. Roe deer benefit from the increasing cover and are very common. Numbers are controlled by shooting, and this, along with stock removal, has been enough to allow the trees to become established.
展开▼
