Forest Health Highlights 1997
Kentucky
The Kentucky Division of Forestry provides forest health protection assistance to state and private land managers within the State. This program is funded cooperatively by the State and the USDA Forest Service Forest Health Protection unit.
Kentucky Forest Facts
Almost
1/2 of the entire state of Kentucky is forested (more than
12.3 million acres).
Kentucky's
tree species diversity rivals that of the whole European continent.
Over
90% of forested acreage in Kentucky is privately owned.
Small landowners comprise the largest group.
The
Daniel Boone National Forest (698,900 acres) provides recreational
and wildlife benefits as well as forest products and jobs for thousands
of people.
Oak
decline is impacting timber and recreation in Kentucky. Oak decline
results in dieback and mortality of the larger mature oaks. Factors such
as drought, frost, insect defoliation, and secondary agents such as root
disease and wood boring insects all contribute to the disease.
Gypsy
moth, a serious pest of hardwood forests, threatens Kentucky from
the north and east. The Kentucky Division of Forestry and USDA Forest
Service work closely to monitor and quickly respond to outbreaks of the
moth through a statewide early warning network of survey traps.
Dogwood
anthracnose has struck over a 60 county area in the state. Damage
is most severe in the forest environment at higher elevations and in cool
moist areas in the lower elevations.
The Kentucky Division of Forestry and
USDA Forest Service
In spite of the relatively good health of Kentucky's forests, a variety of insects and diseases (both native and introduced), and human-caused impacts such as air pollution, continue to threaten the State's resources. To deal with this constantly changing mix of challenges, the Division of Forestry and the Forest Health Protection unit of the USDA Forest Service cooperate to prevent, detect, suppress and manage this multitude of threats. The partnership between the two agencies has worked for three decades to maintain and improve the health of Kentucky's forests.
Forest Health Protection contributions (dollars) to the Kentucky Division of Forestry Cooperative Forest Health program, 1995-98.