Horse Logging: Timber to Cabin Part 1

Horse Logging in the North Woods of Minnesota (Ely, MN)
Tim Carroll of Cedar River Horse Logging was hired by a landowner to log and mill white pines on his property to build a cabin and barn there. We follow him in all the steps. This video follows Tim and his team in the logging part of the project.
Tim is a sustainable low-impact logger and he explains this as a need to balance the material needs of the owner with the needs of the forest as a whole, leaving some mature trees while harvesting some to produce seeds while clearing some to open up the woods. The low impact is the due:
Use of draft horses for power
Saw on site
Build on site
Tim begins by evaluating the forest identifying the trees to harvest and the surrounding trees to clear for the least damage. Clear small trees and trees that would interfere with the dropping of the tree.
He prepare the base of the trunk by cutting the perimeter low to the ground to produce the most wood.
We see powerful footage of his two up team of Belgians pulling the first logs up a steep, soft snowy hill. It is a difficult pull but prepares the snow for subsequent logs, making it easier as the day goes on.
Tim's team is amazing, doing their work following only verbal instructions.
Cutting Logs: Tim explains a method to cut large logs understanding the tension and compression on the felled log so as not to get the saw wedged in the log.
Lastly we see footage of Tim and his 4-up team of two Belgians and two Percherons pulling the logging cart and large log.
Continue watching this series:
Horse Logging: Timber to Cabin Part 3 - The Sawmill
Horse Logging: Timber to Cabin Part 3 - Logging Camp
Horse Logging: Timber to Cabin Part 4 - Building the Cabin

[@forrestchauncey2853]

Great job, you guy's do a fine job. Filing is a fine art, the more you learn the less you'll work.

[@davidjones1146]

Great

[@davefarnsworth3020]

Love the four up forcart.

[@g.r.4853]

that saw operator must have watched the video twice that morning. Seemed to have a vague idea on running the thing.

[@raincoast2396]

The saws make lots of noise and little chips. The chain is not up to par. Either the gullets on the teeth are to shallow, or the rakers are too long preventing the teeth to bite deeper. Could be a combination of both. Watch a channel called "Buckin Billy Ray Smith". He will show you how.

[@zarb88]

He’s cutting so low im sure hes hitting dirt. The 4” of extra wood is hardly worth a new chain.

[@morgansword]

Old school logging and I have some fun memories an one damn sad one I won't repeat but mother nature was at fault, not me or the hose did anything wrong

[@edschultz2939]

Just curious, why a skid plate on the log was not used to lessen the drag ( plowing up the soil)?

[@alb5489]

Looks like Farmer Brown's Logging Arch/Cart "The Cadillac of Logging Carts".

[@romanpavelka2625]

Kočí dobrej . Dřevorubec katastrofa

[@willad1872]

You don't need that stupid cart

[@mervjb809]

Will... that cart makes it much easier for the horses. If you notice, the butt of the log is completely off the ground when they are pulling. You made a rather stupid statement.

[@willad1872]

@@mervjb809 maybe the log is easisr to pull but dragging a cart is very dangerous on rough terrain.

[@flikajones6109]

Don't get me wrong. U'r doing it a whole lot more primitively than i would. But when u said the least footprint possible, i have to disagree. The Amish. Now they're doing things with the least footprint possible in today's world.

[@cathy9160]

Disgrace making thee horses pull such a heavy load and couldn't get their footing get a timber jack .poor horses were struggling .