BRUSTONE MILLS, W.Va. (WBOY) — This week, WVU Extension will host a logging training and demonstration event where a variety of people involved in the timber industry can see the latest developments in logging technology.
Loggers, equipment dealers, forest researchers and representatives from the West Virginia National Forest Service were all in attendance at Tuesday's training, which focused on developing winch systems and anchoring equipment to the top of hills to prevent it from sliding off. Focused on how to fix.
Winch systems are relatively new to the East Coast, having been developed primarily in New Zealand and the steeply hilly West Coast of the United States.
“You can also keep people inside the machine. There's safety because there's no one on the ground,” said event organizer Patrick Donnelly.
The environmental impact of logging on steep slopes is not yet known. Forest Forever, a California environmental nonprofit, said logging steep slopes causes soil erosion, landslides and waterway pollution.
12 News reached out to the Monongahela National Forest, which said the use of winch systems must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, but the forest has not been logged using cables since the 1970s.
