The crunch of snow under wooden skids and the sounds of large horses pulling wood from the forest are common sounds in St. Georges this winter. The Provincial Forests program of the Department of Environment, Energy and Forestry is overseeing a special horse logging project on 1.7 hectares (nearly four acres) of public land here, near Dundas.
The Provincial Forests program is interested in demonstrating and using a range of sustainable forest management techniques. “Mechanical harvest is one option, but it is not well suited to all forest stands or conditions,” said Reg Conohan, Eastern Forest District Supervisor. “For some areas, harvest done with smaller equipment or horses is an alternative. The purpose of this horse logging project is to both see how well the forest improvement work can be done and to demonstrate this type of work to landowners and the public.”
The Provincial Forests program issued a public tender late last year to see if there was any interest from those involved in horse logging. Kevin Taylor was awarded the tender for the St. George’s property. In late January, he began work on the stand with his team of two Heflinger horses. Together, the team is removing poorly formed trees for firewood or small dimension lumber and leaving the best trees as well as those that are important for wildlife. This work will improve the overall health and quality of the forest and help to provide high-value products and habitat into the future.
“This type of forest is common on both public and private lands in this area,” said Conohan. “We hope this project will not only increase the quality of this stand for a range of environmental and economic goals, but also expand the range of options available to those interested in getting similar work done.”
The horse logging project should take about 10 weeks to complete, depending on weather. Once the snow clears in the spring, Provincial Forests staff will complete an on-site evaluation to see how well the project worked.