Horse Logging at Berea College

Joe visits Berea College in Kentucky to talk with horse loggers there.

This video is filled with expert loggers working in the woods of Eastern Kentucky demonstrating logging and explaining the importance of restorative forestry. The college is situated on a 9000 acre property.

First we meet Ben Burgess who has a restorative forestry business using draft horses. He explains what a good business it is and how we need young people to learn this business to ensure the health of our forests, especially in Appalachia where jobs are needed and forest is everywhere.

We then meet Frank Miano, a high school student who horse logs with his dad. He talks about the work, working with his dad, and his plans for the future.

Clint Patterson - Berea College Forester talks about the benefits local horse loggers would have on the economy of Eastern Kentucky. It would bring jobs, materials, locally built. homes and more to the locals.

He explains the philosophy and practice of restorative forestry
1. Saving good quality trees
2. Take out the leaning trees, trees that are going to die, species that are non-native
3. Create opening to let in sunlight

Joe interviews Jason Rutledge as he explains why forests are thinned on a "worst first" bases. He works with Berea College to set up the horse logging program to teach young men professional horse logging/animal powered forestry.

Joe interviews Berea College Senior John Henry Hite III. He is majoring in agriculture, natural resources with a forestry minor. He explains Berea's philosophy as a work study college and all of the jobs he has preformed as a student there.
maintaining the watershed
clearing beaver dams
trail maintenance
fell and remove trees
invasive species treatment
horse logging
He also preformed a successful research project on using goats to eradicate kudzu.

Lastly we meet Frank Hicks who logs with his mules. He shows us the logging arch he made and how it works. He uses stay chains and a doubletree and shows us how he hooks it up, the line of draft and adjustment that can be made for different logs, angles, single mules and more. He also gives us some important safety tips and demonstrates how easy it is to get upright if tipped. Joe gets some great footage of his mule team skidding a large log up a hill.