Kentucky: Northern Cumberland Plateau

The Northern Cumberland Plateau contains some of the largest stretches of contiguous forest in the eastern United States and is one of several areas in Kentucky that were historically and ecologically dominated by white oak forests. This area has deep cultural significance as well: known as the country’s first major gateway to westward expansion, Cumberland Gap allowed colonial settlers to reach central and western Kentucky and Tennessee, including what is now the Cumberland Gap National Park, located in parts of Harlan and Bell counties. For this area and across Kentucky, the White Oak Initiative was highlighted in the Kentucky’s 2020 Forest Action Plan.

Today, Kentucky’s white oak forests provide acorns and a forested ecosystem that is critical to many wildlife species, including many threatened and endangered species. These forests also support recreational activities such as biking, hiking, and hunting. White oak logs are an important commercial species used by many primary and secondary wood industries; an example is Somerset Hardwood Flooring, a privately owned, environmentally conscious company that uses Appalachian hardwood to make high-quality flooring. Kentucky white oak lumber and forest products generate about $61 million in annual revenue, while Kentucky barrel stave production generates $134 million in annual revenue. Kentucky bourbon, which is heavily reliant on white oak for production, generates about $8.6 billion in revenue every year.

According to the White Oak Initiative spatial analysis, Kentucky’s Northern Cumberland Plateau scored well due to ecological and forestry conditions that can support white oak regeneration management. It also has significant white oak supply and a significant amount of White Oak Initiative partner priority lands and critical habitat. On the other hand, there is room for improvement in terms of invasive removal, pathogen prevention, and landowner understanding and participation. In terms of stakeholder support, a recent survey of three Kentucky-based white oak stakeholder groups indicated that the most-supported long-term white oak policy and management decisions are: 1) encouraging and incentivizing sustainable forest management and 2) addressing poor harvesting practices.

“To address these issues and others, the Kentucky Division of Forestry is working with landowners to write forest stewardship plans that focus on growing high-quality white oak and making silvicultural recommendations to improve long-term sustainability for the species. The Division has developed demonstration sites and is administering a multistate southern region landscape-scale restoration grant, received though the USDA Forest Service, for upland hardwoods with an emphasis on white oak.”

To address these issues and others, the Kentucky Division of Forestry is working with landowners to write forest stewardship plans that focus on growing high-quality white oak and making silvicultural recommendations to improve long-term sustainability for the species. The Division has developed demonstration sites and is administering a multistate southern region landscape-scale restoration grant, received though the USDA Forest Service, for upland hardwoods with an emphasis on white oak. In addition, the Daniel Boone National Forest has been identified as a primary resource area for sustainable white oak populations. The state’s other partners in white oak restoration include the White Oak Initiative, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the USDA Farm Service Agency, the Kentucky Woodland Owners Association, and the Kentucky Forest Industries Association. The University of Kentucky’s Department of Forestry and Natural Resources is another key partner, with its research into seed genetics, its Center for Forest and Wood Certification, and leading woodland-management courses.

Yet while the Northern Cumberland Plateau and Kentucky in general are at the forefront of white oak restoration work, there is still room for improvement. Specifically, there is potential from the Kentucky Division of Forestry’s efforts to obtain federal funding for cost-share assistance or via collaboration with similar and neighboring high-potential upland oak restoration areas such as the Northern Cumberland Plateau EcoState in Tennessee. The Kentucky Division of Forestry could also benefit from additional funding, particularly to add personnel to reach and educate more landowners. “Eastern Kentucky has a lot of absentee landowners and it can be a challenge to reach them,” according to Pam Snyder, forest management chief for the Kentucky Division of Forestry. In addition, Snyder says, group ownership of properties can make it challenging to build consensus on how to manage those properties.