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Logging with Horses. Adam Farnham, Owner, Flowing Waters Farm Summer, 2004. Why use this method?. Small acreage ~5 Soft ground limited access High value timber, widely dispersed An old pasture for a dairy farm Had not been used as pasture for 40 years Random, good quality alder
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Logging with Horses Adam Farnham, Owner, Flowing Waters Farm Summer, 2004
Why use this method? • Small acreage ~5 • Soft ground limited access • High value timber, widely dispersed • An old pasture for a dairy farm • Had not been used as pasture for 40 years • Random, good quality alder • Short skid distances (in theory) • Really neat to watch.
Our Objectives • Forest health. Swap out old alder for new diverse seedlings. Thinning. • Hemlock • Doug Fir • Cedar • No intent to profit on this acreage. • Minimal modification to existing trails.
Tong pull. Timber felled & cleaned. Team backed, tongs set. Extreme care given to lie and direction.
Pull started. More manpower here than what is usually needed.
A few things to consider… • Very labor intensive. Not speedy. • Logger cut only trees he could move each day. • We provided pasture for the horses. • Logger worked long days. Commuting with the horses too time consuming and expensive.
The End Result • I did more soils damage collecting firewood with my tractor. • Two weeks later, it was difficult to tell where he’d been. • Two truckloads of alder removed in two weeks. • No profit, but income used to offset losses for tax purposes.