No chippers, grinders or massive diesel engine trucks are needed to clear away fallen trees from last month’s storm, as long as Tim Carroll is around.

Sugar, left, and Rose, a pair of Percheron draft horses owned by Tim Carroll, of Cedar River Horse Logging, pull a log from the woods near the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center outside of Austin, MN

Carroll, of Lyle, prefers to do his work the “old-fashioned” way, with horse teams and carts. Or as he calls it, “the more efficient, economical way.”

Horses can maneuver better in the woods and inflict less damage than machines, according to Carroll, a horse logger.

“In areas where you need to minimize damage, horses are really the answer,” he said. “The lack of damage makes a huge impact.”

The owner of Cedar River Horse Logging and Wood Products, which is based in Lyle, Carroll has been working around Austin helping to clear hundreds of fallen trees from the wooded areas hit by the tornado. On Wednesday, he worked for nearly 10 hours hauling fallen and damaged trees from a wooded area near Gerard Academy.

It’s a typical day for Carroll, who makes a living traveling across the country to do similar work for landowners. Sometimes Carroll will help landowners market the timber, and sometimes Carroll will use it to make furniture, flooring and cabinets to sell.

“We can go from tree to product,” said Carroll. “We do virtually anything.”

In exchange for doing the logging for the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center, Carroll will use some of the timber to make and sell some of those products and is hoping some area residents will want a piece of the historic woods.

Todd Eggler uses a team to pull logs from a stand of trees that were damaged from a recent storm.

“Hormel family members planted some of those trees,” said Carroll. “I grew up around here, and I feel connected to the nature center. I know about every one of these trees.”

Carroll started his horse logging business 18 years ago. After helping his neighbor clear out a wooded area of his property, word spread about Carroll’s methods and many people began requesting his services.

“People started finding out we were doing this and we started getting a crowd,” said Carroll. “For some people it’s nostalgia. It reminds them of the old days, their grandpas … and some people see the common sense of it.”

In the winter, Carroll runs logging camps all over the Midwest to teach others about horse logging. His business has been featured on several television stations, and, beginning in August, it will have a weekly spot on RFDTV, a channel dedicated to rural areas.

For Carroll, the enjoyment comes from working with the horses.

For one thing, horses cost about $4 per day to keep, he said.

“There isn’t a machine in the world that you can upkeep for that,” said Carroll. “And there aren’t many machines you can have a relationship with. Horses have personalities, just like people.”

In 18 years, Carroll said he never has felt bored at work, and he never has left the woods without seeing something amazing.

“A horse will give you everything they got, and then they’ll give you a little more. It’s heart and soul,” said Carroll. “Every day I get up, I’m pretty happy to keep doing what I’m doing. It’s a way of life. This really makes sense.”

By Karen Colbenson