Carting
Did you know?
For a drag length of less than 50m and logs of up to 0.6 cubic metres, horses are more economic than machines !
On average, the distance covered by a man and his horse is 30 to 40km a day.
Photo : Jean Léo DUGAST
Horse logging: a profession of the future !
More than a simple passion, there is a real market for horse logging: 4Areas that are difficult to access for technical reasons,
Peri-urban areas for sociological rea- sons (local events, educational visit for the youth of nearby schools, etc.),
Small projects for practical reasons, demonstrations, which represent at least 10% of the activity.
And with a real policy for sustainable fo- restry, at least 20% of the French forest area could be cleared by horses.
A new figures
34.5 million cubic metres of wood are cleared in France per year, with 50,000 cubic metres or 0.15% of the total volume cleared by horse.
Around 40 French carters registered in 2005 for an equivalent of around 12 full-time (so many are also active in other fields): this figure has not changed since 1994 despite 80% of the carters regis- tered at this time stopping their activity. Hence a significant renewal !
Room for development as there are an estimated 450 potential carters in France.