Can Two Horses Save A Tree?

How a pair of Belgian draft horses helps remove logs from environmentally sensitive areas

CitiLog offers a one-of-a-kind service by removing logs from environmentally sensitive areas using a team of Belgian draft horses. The heavy machinery required to remove trees can damage the surrounding area. One of the biggest issues is compaction. Heavy machinery compacts soil, and compacted soil can lead to the death of trees and other plants. We've all seen it before - a tree near a new building has died. But there is no obvious sign of damage to the tree that would have caused the death. Chances are it was due to soil compaction that robbed the tree roots of the ability to breathe. CitiLog can access felled trees with our horse team and pull the trees out to a safer area where our truck is parked. The damage to the soil and surrounding vegetation is dramatically reduced. So the answer is yes, two horses can save a tree!

CitiLog founder Stubby Warmbold removes logs from a new building site at Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ. The horses weigh a fraction of what the heavy machinery typically used to remove logs weighs, which reduces soil compaction that could harm the remaining trees.
A draft horse is a large horse bred for hard, heavy labor. Belgian Draft horses have a long history in this country as a breed coveted by farmers for their ability to pull heavy loads and plow fields while maintaining a friendly and cooperative personality. They are by far the most popular draft horse in the country. They have enjoyed a resurgence in the last several decades as a way to accomplish tasks that would normally require a fossil fuel burning machine to accomplish.
Buck & Bill pull the logs from the environmentally sensitive area around the building pad out into a clearing where CitiLog can load them onto our log truck.