Rural Heritage's video: Environmentally Sensitive Horse Logging at Berea College

Joe visits Berea College in Campbellsville, Ky to learn about their horse logging program. He starts by explaining how a usual logging contract works. Berea college has a Forest Management Program to enhance the value of their woods and protect the watershed that includes lakes from which their water comes. They have hired horse loggers Ben Burgess and Sam Tackett to manage their woods full time using environmentally sensitive logging or what is commonly known as "worst first" logging. Sam and Ben have both learned from the Healing Harvest Foundation about this philosophy. Ben talks about the business end of horse logging and how Berea works to manage the forest while still selling wood from it. He also talks about how he became interested in logging. We watch as the two men expertly fell a large tree and use their draft horse team to skid it out of the woods. Sam demonstrates a "jack grab" which he learned from Jake Strode, to hook up a log to the logging cart. and then hauls it to a landing. Next we hear from Clint Patterson, Berea College Forester about considering the future or "big picture" when managing a watershed property. Bulldozing and clear cutting will foul the water and increase treatment costs, eventually destroying the lakes. He explains how environmentally sensitive logging will keep the water clean and make the lakes viable indefinitely. Berea has harvested some of its trees for use in historical ship restoration on the east coast. Ben talks about proper use of the horses and considering the loads they can sustain all day. Lastly Joe talks with Jason Rutledge of Healing Harvest Foundation about the labor involved by men and horses and the benefit to the world and the environment this labor has. If you like this program, you will like Rural Heritage magazine. Subscribe at : https://www.mischka.com/shop/home.php?cat=283 RESOURCES Berea College Forestry: https://www.berea.edu/forestry/ Healing Harvest Foundation: http://www.healingharvestforestfoundation.org/ Logging Grabs: www.horseloggersupply.com