Horsepower harnessed for Trust tree-felling

Conservation experts at the National Trust for Scotland have harnessed the help of a heavy horse as the charity undertakes crucial forestry management work at Meikle Wood on the Threave Estate in Dumfries and Galloway.

Conservation experts at the National Trust for Scotland have harnessed the help of a heavy horse as the charity undertakes crucial forestry management work at Meikle Wood on the Threave Estate in Dumfries and Galloway.

Billy the Belgium Ardennes is working with owner Jim Johnstone and National Trust for Scotland Ranger, Karl Munday to fell trees and remove them from the sensitive woodland area.

Meikle Wood is the site of a scheduled ancient monument - a prehistoric crop mark enclosure that is thought to be a high status farmstead of Iron Age date. That meant that the Trust had to satisfy Historic Scotland that the work would not impact on the site and obtain a permit before commencing in August.

The Trust’s Dumfries and Galloway Countryside team realised that horsepower was the most effective way of ensuring that this work could take place with minimum impact on the land.

Karl Munday, Senior Ranger for the National Trust for Scotland said:

“Regular tree-felling is an important part of good forestry management and we are undertaking this work to ensure that Meikle Wood thrives in the future. There are sensitivities around our work here though. The wood is important both as a site of a scheduled ancient monument and as a habitat for a wide range of wildlife too.

“We decided that using horses was the best approach. This traditional technique has been used in forest management for centuries. Horses can extract timber effectively and safely through the trees without causing any damage, which is ideal for our circumstances here. We were lucky to find the expertise we needed nearby and it is great to learn more about the techniques and traditions of this vibrant profession.

“As well as the archaeological issues, we also carefully considered the potential impact upon wildlife in the area. We had to apply for a license to work near a badger set and conduct bat and bird surveys prior to and during the works. We have also timed our work around minimising disturbance to the wildfowl reserve. Using Billy is helping us to keep any disruption to a minimum, as he is a lot quieter and easy to manoeuvre than heavy machinery.”