Berea College has always maintained an interest in forest preservation and isn’t horsing around with 9,000 acres of forest here in Madison County. The college has begun the early stages of using horses for logging. The logging operation is focused on removing older and unhealthy trees to allow the young and healthy trees to flourish.
The horses do not harm smaller trees and soil isn’t compacted as it would when heavy machinery is used. Once a tree has been felled, it is then cut into to smaller pieces before being pulled from the forest. This extra step prevents smaller trees from being damaged when the logs are pulled from the forest.
Logging is a very dangerous job and safety is a number one priority. According to Forest Operations Horse Technician John Henry Hite, if students are unconformable performing a task they do not have to do it. In the case of emergency, humans take first priority, then horses, and lastly equipment. Watch the video to get an up close and personal look at this process.
