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General Description of the State 



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^O UNDERSTAND the place of the forest 

 resource in Kentucky's economy it is neces- 

 sary to know something about the land and 

 the people. The Bluegrass State extends from the 

 western slopes of the Appalachian Moimtains to the 

 Mississippi River. The State is about 350 miles long 

 and 175 miles wide, and has a total area of about 

 251/2 million acres. 



Three forest regions merge in Kentucky. Al- 

 though rnost of the State lies in the Central Hard- 

 woods forest region, a belt of southern hardwoods 

 extends across the western end. The Northeastern 

 Hardwoods region, which extends along the Ap- 

 palachian Mountain chain, laps over into eastern 

 Kentucky. 



Physical Characteristics 



Kentucky has a climate very favorable for tree 

 growth. Rainfall averages about 40 inches annually 

 and is well distributed geographically and season- 

 ally. The growing season is long, ranging from about 

 175 days in the higher mountains of eastern Ken- 



tucky to nearly 200 days along the Mississippi Ri\er 

 in the southwest. 



The Eastern Highlands 



This region is also known as the Eastern Coal 

 Fields region. It is by far the most heavily forested 

 part of Kentticky. Although the Eastern Highlands 

 has only 29 percent of the total area, it has nearly 

 half of the forest land (fig. I). It includes large 

 areas of continuous forest. Some comities are more 

 than 90 percent forested, and the region averages 

 7() percent. It is rtigged and mountainous. The 

 region is dissected by narrow valleys and coves, with 

 steep, sharp ridges rising 500 to 1,500 feet. Tree 

 growth is excellent in tlie valleys and coves where 

 the soils are fertile thotigh limited in extent. On the 

 ridges tree growth is slower and less desirable tree 

 species are usually foimd. Though some slopes and 

 ridgetops are cultivated (fig. 2), most of the region 

 is too rough and therefore has never been cleared 

 of timber. The soils erode easily and qiuckly lose 

 their fertility, so forests are gradually reclaiming 



PERCENT OF AREA FORESTED 



I I 0-24 

 I I 25-49 



50-74 



75-100 



WESTERN PLATEAU 



FiGliRE \.~The forest regions of Kentucky, shoiuing percent of land forested, by county, 1949. 



Kentucky's Forest Resources and Industries 



