At Preeksa Farm in Võru County, a bark-beetle damaged forest stand located in the middle of wetland is being cut down. To haul timber from the site, a road has been built on the boggy ground and filled with spruce branches over several consecutive days.

Now that the road surface has frozen solid, timber hauling work has begun using a tractor.

"Now we can work in the areas where machines would normally sink in," said farm owner Karl-Gustav Sok.

When the ground is frozen, heavy equipment doesn't churn up roots or damage other trees either, he added. This is especially helpful when it comes to selective thinning, where only select trees are taken down.

Logging work is also being carried out in state forests, primarily in areas that heavy machinery hasn't been able to access for years.

Near Vastse-Kuuste in Põlva County, for example, forest roads suitable for harvesters weighing more than 20 metric tons have been in the works since early January.

"This winter has created unusually good conditions for forest management," said Valdo Rätsep, a quality inspector for the State Forest Management Center (RMK) in Võru. "We can now reach areas that we couldn't access during wet winters."

Preparing these dedicated winter forest roads, he added, is key to protecting the soil and preserving the environment.

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