Gypsy Cob Bill helps clear Loggerheads Country Park following Ash Dieback work

A traditional horse powered method has helped resource wood to use following ash dieback work.

Denbighshire Countryside Services has had support from a four-legged friend at Loggerheads Country Park to clear up wood for reuse after recent onsite ash dieback prevention work.

The UK native ash tree is particularly common across Denbighshire’s landscape and unfortunately, many of these trees, including some at Loggerheads, have been struck by the fungus named Hymenoscyphus fraxineus which causes ash dieback.

Trees deemed a risk due to the disease were cut down at the park but the left over wood will be getting reused to further support the park thanks to the efforts of 15-year-old Gypsy Cob Bill.

Kevin Taylor of Shire X Logging brought Bill to the park on August 24 to help Countryside staff extract timber which they could not access with vehicles and was too heavy to move by hand. He has been working with Bill for 11 years and the pair have a very close bond.

Using Bill is a type of forestry management which has horses move trees from a felled location to a collection area. The technique is also more carbon friendly with the horse replacing vehicles and kinder to the forest ecology.

The timber collected by Bill will be milled into useable pieces to create benches to go park out into the park.

Cllr Barry Mellor, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said: “It’s great that a traditional method has enabled us to reclaim this wood for reuse in the park that it came from after this important ash dieback work at the park and thanks to everyone for their support while Bill carried out his work.”