Heavy horses tread gently as they log on for drive to protect woodland wildlife

Clydesdale heavy horses are being used in Woolley Wood, near Meadowhall in Sheffield, to extract timber without causing any damage to the standing trees.

Using horses in this way, rather than machinery, also minimises damage to the soil and doesn’t damage plants or wildlife.

Today considered a rare breed, Clydesdale horses were originally used for agriculture and heavy hauling, although the traditional skills have been in decline.

Young oak and hornbeam trees are being felled at Woolley Wood to increase the variety of trees within the woodland and make it more attractive for wildlife.

The timber extracted from the woodland as part of the project will be used to heat biomass boilers in schools throughout Sheffield.

Max Hibbert, conservation officer at Green Estates, was carrying out the work with his horse Freddie over the weekend.

Mr Hibbert, said: “After cutting down the trees that have been marked up, Freddie pulls the timber out.

“It’s ultra-low impact, in that it doesn’t have any impact on the ground flora, doesn’t cause any pollution and doesn’t disturb the wildlife or plant life.

“We’re conserving the traditional woodland skills.”

Similar works are also set to be carried out at Roe Wood, near the Northern General hospital, and at woodland in Grenoside.

The woodland management works are part of Sheffield Council’s “Woodland Improvement for Birds” project, which is funded by the Forestry Commission and supported by the RSPB.

A spokesman for Sheffield Council said: “Over the last 25 years within the UK woodland bird populations, on average, have fallen by 20 per cent.

“Some breeds, like the lesser spotted woodpecker and willow tit have declined even more alarmingly.

“Much of this decline can be attributed to changes in how woodlands are managed, with many suffering from under-management and too little diversity of the age and species of trees.

“In order to thrive, birds depend on a complex woodland structure that includes a ground layer, shrub layer and canopy,” the spokesman said.