Filed under: November 2013 | Tags: Hoofprints, horses in the woods, low impact logging
Tracks from the wood gathering
November 15, 2013
We have been hauling wood to the maple sugarhouse, many of my blog followers know this already. I wanted to point out the low impact of horses on the land. The photo above was taken after countless trips in the exact same spot. A hoofprint and a runner track can be seen, but both will freeze out and disappear by spring.
If I had use a tractor for the wood gathering job, deep ruts would be the order of the day. Those ruts would have scarred the land and remained after several winters of freezing and thawing. It is my opinion, that horses in the woods, are an exact fit.
The tracks left behind by the horses will not channel water and contribute to erosion. They can be smoothed out by simply dragging a wooden drag or and old truck tire. I have seen a mother rabbit choose a horse hoofprint to build her nest and birth her babies. The simple depression making a warm, safe, snug home for the rabbit family.
The sled too makes for small tracks in the land. I use a sled for gathering the maple sap in spring. Where the sled has been, almost no tracks can be found. On forest roads where we were forced to use a tractor, I am ashamed of the marks. I will fix them as soon as the weather cooperates…probably next year 😮
I think no matter what the implement chosen to haul wood or drive in the woodlot, a person should make consideration so as to keep its impact low. It’s okay to make a few marks in your life, but leave them small and soft, especially those you leave on someone’s heart.
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