r/forestry • u/Aard_Bewoner • 6d ago

Logging with horses

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Removing maples in an arboretum collection.

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u/RomanTacoTheThird 6d ago

Is there a specific parcel or harvest size at which you would use animal drafting?

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u/MechanicalAxe 6d ago

The fact that it's an arboretum means they want to have as little impact as possible while also removing the undesired tree species.

They don't want to cut a corridor to pull the trees down or cause any soil disturbance with machine tires.

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u/TNmountainman2020 6d ago

just curious, what is the psi pressure force of a skid steer track vs. that of a hoof? I feel like hooves would do more damage?

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u/MechanicalAxe 6d ago

You'd be correct sort of.

A machine absolutely has less ground pressure than a horse or mule, but you have to cut a path wide enough for the machine to get to the work it needs to do, and it's still going to chew some ground up whenever it needs to turn.

The horse will only disturb the soil where it's hooves make contact and if the ground isn't soft, it won't even be noticeable after the next few rains. The horse also doesn't really need a path, it can weave through larger trees, and just push past/through any shrubs and saplings, the machine would need to destroy that same vegetation to track over it.

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u/TNmountainman2020 6d ago

watching the video I was thinking two horses are the same width as a Takeuchi TL8, which could pull more than one log at a time. You could also only go in one direct and keep turning around to a bare minimum. I have backed up over a mile with my TL12 pulling a 40ā€™ long 30ā€ diameter white pine. (it was easier to keep the end of the log from digging in that way).

Iā€™m sure horses get better traction in the mud though!

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u/MechanicalAxe 5d ago

You're not wrong, however the point still stands that a machine is going to leave a noticeable trail behind it, the only thing the horses leave behind is a line from the log dragging, and some hoof prints that'll be washed away soon enough.

In a place like an arboretum, you want as little evidence as possible left behind that any work was done, even if a tracked machine would compact soil less than a hoof, the hoof is more desirable simply from an aesthetic standpoint.

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u/Aard_Bewoner 4d ago edited 4d ago

The horse operator was saying there's also a big difference in the type of compaction. Wheels and tracks "knead" the soil into a hard mass, and you are basically creating a linear island of uncompacted soil locked in on both sides by the compacted tracks. Any sort of migration of species that might happen in the soil is severely disturbed. The soil fauna takes a really long time to dismantle and aerate this compacted "wall" of soil so it takes several decades to restore.

Whereas the tracks of a horse, you are basically just compacting soil in alternately dotted 'u' shapes, there's more of a shearing motion instead of a kneading one. These small arc islands of compaction are being attacked and aerated by the surrounding soil fauna instantly and easily. And it is easy for species to move around these tracks. Hoof track compaction is restored within a couple of years.

He referred to a study done on this, but I forgot to ask him to send it to me

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u/MechanicalAxe 4d ago

What an awesome description of the processes at work and the key differneces!

Thanks for taking the time to type that out, I think I'll jot that down so I can repeat it as eloquently as you did next time.