Müravaba metsatöö päevad / Noise-free forestry days held

Abstract

Viljandi Culture Academy organized noise-free forestry days in Saarepeedi village near Viljandi on 28 & 29 January 2014. This public event, held as part of the native construction students’ forestry work experience, introduced alternative traditional working techniques and showcased axes and hand saws used to harvest timber. One mare of the Estonian native horse breed and one mare of the Estonian heavy horse breed were used to haul the timber out of the woods, demonstrating modern horse logging equipment. The event was covered on television and sparked a discussion on the website of the Estonian Horse Breeders Association regarding the use of native horse breeds in logging and the necessity of relevant performance testing.

Keywords: noiseless forestry, horse logging, small-scale speciality wood harvesting