Vertical mulcher rides to rescue of ancient Northumberland peat bog

Nine-tonne timber harvester clears trees as part of 50-year project to restore Border Mires dating from ice age

To the uninitiated a vertical mulcher might sound like the creation of a feverish nightmare, but the tree-chipping machine might be the saviour of one of the UK's most important peat habitants.

The mulching is a continuation of a 50-year project to restore the Border Mires, a network of bogs in and around Kielder Forest in Northumberland that dates from the ice age. Forestry England will use the nine-tonne timber harvester to munch through 23 hectares (57 acres) of trees in order to speed up restoration of the mires.