Participation Type
Poster
Presentation #1 Title
Using Horses and Mule Logging to Sustainably Manage Appalachian Forests
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Horse and Mule Logging Poster: Berea College has been incorporating horse and mule logging into our operations for the past several years in order to sustainably manage our 9,000 acre historic working forest in such a way as to cause the least amount of negative impact on our forest soils, preserve the remaining trees without damaging them, and model a system which requires much lower capital investment for landowners and small operators to manage forests. The Suffolk Punch breed of horse we especially advocate using is “more rare than pandas” and originated in Suffolk, England, where it was bred for plowing and dragging logs. This horse breed is especially well suited for logging because of its low center of gravity and willingness to work. It has not been bred for show, so its genetics is still aligned for work. Berea College intends to grow our draft horse program in such a way as to help preserve the Suffolk Punch breed of horse, help continue the human skills needed for working with horses in the forest, and to help provide a feasible, environmentally sensitive and technologically appropriate method for sustainable forestry in Appalachian and beyond.
Using Horses and Mule Logging to Sustainably Manage Appalachian Forests
Horse and Mule Logging Poster: Berea College has been incorporating horse and mule logging into our operations for the past several years in order to sustainably manage our 9,000 acre historic working forest in such a way as to cause the least amount of negative impact on our forest soils, preserve the remaining trees without damaging them, and model a system which requires much lower capital investment for landowners and small operators to manage forests. The Suffolk Punch breed of horse we especially advocate using is “more rare than pandas” and originated in Suffolk, England, where it was bred for plowing and dragging logs. This horse breed is especially well suited for logging because of its low center of gravity and willingness to work. It has not been bred for show, so its genetics is still aligned for work. Berea College intends to grow our draft horse program in such a way as to help preserve the Suffolk Punch breed of horse, help continue the human skills needed for working with horses in the forest, and to help provide a feasible, environmentally sensitive and technologically appropriate method for sustainable forestry in Appalachian and beyond.
