A Forestry Program for Kentucky 



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THE PRESENT large forest area in Kentucky 

 (45 percent ol the land area) is likely to 

 remain— it may even increase. During 

 the past two or three decades much cultivated land 

 on the steeper slopes has been abandoned because 

 of severe erosion and the resultant loss of soil fer- 

 tility. On much of this area a new forest cover is 

 being established. Many farmers from low-income 

 areas are seeking higher-paying industrial employ- 

 ment, which usually means moving to an urban 

 area. This may mean that more marginal farm- 

 land will revert to forest. 



The importance of the forest area to the State is 

 likely to increase as more and more woodland own- 

 ers realize the value of timber as a crop. For some 

 time a number of organizations, the United States 

 Forest Service, the State of Kentucky, the Tennessee 

 Valley Authority, the American Forest Products 

 Industries, the Illinois Central Railroad, and others 

 have been active in forestry education programs. 

 As a result of these programs and the current high 

 prices for forest products, forest-land owners are 

 beginning to recognize the value of timber as a 

 paying crop. 



Varied evidence of the increase of public interest 

 in forestry education and in protection of forests 

 from fire can be found in Kentucky. Publicly 

 financed fire protection of private and State lands 

 now extends to one-third of the counties in the 

 State, as well as to the national forest. The Ken- 

 tucky Division of Forestry has 8 foresters working 

 under the Cooperative Forest Management Act of 

 1950 to give on-the-ground assistance to woodland 

 owners. The extension service of the University of 

 Kentucky has 2 foresters assigned to teaching and 

 demonstration work. The State employs 3 district 

 foresters whose primary task is fire protection; the 

 TVA employs 2 foresters in western Kentucky. 

 Planting stock is made available to private forest 

 owners from publicly supported tree nurseries. 



Kentucky's forests are in condition for a marked 

 improvement in their character. About 80 percent 

 of the trees are in the 2- and 4-inch diameter classes. 



Two things account for this abnormally large pro- 

 portion of small trees: (I) Improved fire protection 

 during the past 10 to 15 years has permitted estab- 

 lished seedlings and sprouts to grow into the 2- and 

 4-inch diameter classes, and (2) heavy past cutting 

 has reduced the number of trees in the larger diam- 

 eter classes. Furthermore, the desirable commercial 

 species are as well or better represented in the 

 pole trees as they are in the sawtimber trees. Sound 

 management of these stands could accelerate the 

 buildup of Kentucky's forests. 



The forest growing stock has been increasing for 

 some time, though mainly in small and low-quality 

 trees. Approximately 70 percent of the growth is in 

 12- and 14-inch trees. Given time to grow, these 

 trees could soon reach the size necessary for quality 

 timber. Under reasonably good management 

 enough of these trees would grow into the larger 

 diameter classes to bring high-quality growth up to 

 the present level of high-quality drain. Premature 

 cutting of small but thrifty, well-formed trees re- 

 tards such progress. 



However, restricting the cut to large, mature trees 

 would lead to practical difficidties in some stands. 

 Since a commercial ctu usually requires removal of 

 fairly large volumes, cutting in many stands would 

 leave such a small residual stand that ftUure cuts 

 woidd be long delayed. For example, the present 

 small sawtimber stands average about 3,000 board 

 feet per acre. If in harvesting these stands, all saw- 

 timber were cut, the residual growing stock wotdd 

 average only slightly more than 350 cubic feet per 

 acre. This would, of course, leave the stands badly 

 understocked. By restricting the cut in small saw- 

 timber stands to trees 20 inches d.b.h. and larger, 

 the residual growing stock (about 800 cubic feet 

 per acre) wotdd be in a fair condition to produce 

 another crop in a reasonable period of time. But 

 the present cut would amount to only 200 board 

 feet per acre, scarcely a commercial operation. 



On the other hand, if cutting is confined to stands 

 of large sawtimber and to trees 20 inches and larger 

 in diameter, as much as 2,000 board feet per acre 



Kentucky's Forest Resources arid Industries 



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