British Horse Loggers Woodland Management Award 2011

The Judges have visited all the sites and decided upon the awards.

Chris Wadsworth being presented with the Award for 2009/10 at the South West Woodland Show, September 2011, by Geraint Richards and Graham Taylor, the Judges.

British Horse Loggers
Woodland Management Award
2009/2010 results

The Judges were impressed by the quality of the entries and hence it has not been easy deciding who should be awarded first prize. The Judges decisions, however, are as follows:

FIRST PRIZE
To CHRISTOPHER WADSWORTH for his work on THE STENIGOT ESTATE.

The Stenigot Estate, near Louth, Lincolnshire, was the first of the sites entered that the judges visited but the quality of the work that had occurred there made a lasting impression on us. It was an extremely steep site, but with boggy areas on the lower ground and with a very narrow access point. Chris was, however, prepared to thin this wood, which was a long way from home, at a rate based on output and this is to his credit. The Judges are very aware of the need for horse-loggers to be able to work more on output based rates, if horse-logging is to become more widely used by woodland owners and managers.

Chris’ work at the Stenigot Estate is an example of what horse-logging could increasingly be used for: small farm and estate woodlands, which it is not viable for most contractors to work because of the volumes involved and the costs associated with transporting plant and equipment, but where a keen owner and increasing fuel-wood and timber prices make the operation possible at little or no cost.

Chris entered another site, part of Pow Hill Country Park, belonging to Durham County Council. The Judges were also impressed with Chris’ work at this tricky site.

There are two points that should be noted:
1. The enlightened view of both the individuals who commissioned Chris, Mr David Dennis owner of The Stenigot Estate and Elisabeth Airey, Woodland Officer for the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership. The Judges are extremely grateful to both for their support for horse-logging.

2. The quality of the paperwork that Chris sent with his applications. Although the Judges are not seeking paperwork for the sake of paperwork, the maps, photos and details of the work that Chris sent through in advance were of enormous benefit.

SECOND PRIZE
To DOUG JOINER for his work at NEW WEIR FORGE, FOREST OF DEAN.

This was a very different operation to that which Chris Wadsworth undertook at The Stenigot Estate but what Doug achieved on this archaeological site highlights another benefit of horse-logging. The New Weir Forge was difficult to access, with low volumes of timber to be extracted from a very sensitive site where minimal ground disturbance was essential and it is evident that Doug and his horses achieved all that was required of them.

Doug entered a number of other sites for the BHLWMA; two of these were visited by the Judges. The site at Marton Pool was another very sensitive site (on this occasion, for ecological rather than archaeological reasons) and it again proves minimal ground impact resulting from horse-logging. It is always interesting to visit Meephill Coppice and to see Doug’s ongoing work at his ‘base camp’.

THIRD PRIZE
To KAREN KILSHAW and DAVID ROYCROFT for their work at JACKSONS BANK, NEWCHURCH, STAFFORDSHIRE.

This site is owned by the Duchy of Lancaster and the woodland managed by Tilhill Economic Forestry; Tilhill engaged the services of Karen and David because of the importance of the wood to local people.
What impressed the Judges was the scale of the operation that Karen and David undertook for several hundred tonnes of wood were extracted to ride-side and it is good to see horse-loggers being this ambitious. It is worth noting that David, relatively new to horse-logging, recalled being inspired by Doug at a Show and so all credit to Doug for his part in bringing this bright horse-logging team into being.

Geraint Richards (Duchy of Cornwall) &
Graham Taylor (Pryor & Rickett Silviculture)

July 8th 2011