We need your help to determine the important issues facing the future of Kentucky's forests. Please complete the online survey listed below to help us determine the trends and threats to Kentucky's forests. The survey will complement a statewide forest resource assessment and action plan currently being developed by the Kentucky Division of Forestry. To complete the survey, please click here.
For as long as people have lived in Kentucky, forests have shaped their lives. Forests were, and are, home to wild game, a provider of various foods and medicines, and their timber provided materials for building homes and furniture. There were 25 million acres of forestland in Kentucky when those of European descent started spilling through the Cumberland Gap and drifting down the Ohio River.
In 1912, the Kentucky Legislature formed the Kentucky Division of Forestry. The initial emphasis for the division was to reduce the severity of wildfires in the state. Now the division's expanded mission is to protect and enhance the forest resources of the commonwealth through a public informed of the environmental and economic importance of these resources.
Today, Kentucky has 11.9 million acres of forestland, of which 87 percent is privately owned.
The division offers many programs and services to private landowners. Visit the Programs Web page for more details.
