Get updates on current issues and threats on the horizon from experts around the region including:
Asian longhorned beetle
Invasive plant management
American chestnut restoration
Insecticide options
 
Register now for the 2021 KY Forest Health Conference on February 5, 1-4 pm ET. It is Free, over Zoom, but registration is required.

KWOA members were introduced to the new HealthyWoods app and more at the 2020 Annual Meeting webinar.

Ellen Crocker, Assistant Professor, Forest Health UK Forestry Extension walked webinar viewers through HealthyWoods, a new mobile app that provides woodland owners with a convenient tool to scout the health of their woods. A collaborative effort between forest specialists from Kentucky and other hardwood-producing states in the Appalachian region, the app makes receiving research-based woodland management information as easy as reaching for the phone.
Users answer a series of questions and can upload pictures from their phones. Questions deal with such things as how the canopy looks, how healthy the trees are, what the understory looks like and whether invasive species are present.
After completing the questions, the user immediately receives a report geared to their management goals, whether that’s timber production, recreation or attracting wildlife. It also provides contact information, if the owner wants to bring in a professional to help guide management. The user can save the report as a PDF that can then be emailed.
Crocker hopes the app will function as a good starting-off point for extension agents and professional foresters who are working with woodland owners. “We hope that this new tool will be a way for landowners to set their woodlands up for success in the long-term.”
HealthyWoods is available for free for iPhone and Android devices.

The virtual meeting attendees were also introduced to Dr. Jacob Muller, new UK Assistant Professor of Hardwood Silviculture and Forest Operations. Muller joined the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources in the spring semester 2020. His extension and teaching interests include the development of continuing education programs for woodland owners and natural resource professionals. He is also interested in helping to develop and advance educational tools to better inform landowners of current and future management challenges.

Brandon Howard, the new Kentucky Division of Forestry Director, introduced himself to viewers. He is a 16-year veteran with KDF in the areas of fire suppression and environmental control.

After careful discussions with the state parks, and the state health department, it was determined that the COVID-19 virus is simply too unpredictable to allow a meeting where we can reasonably ensure the safety of our members and each of you. The KWOA  board decided to wait a year, so we have rescheduled to September of 2021, with the hope that advances can be made in prevention and treatment.
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KWOA apologizes for the inconvenience that all of these changes have caused. We have rescheduled for the 28th & 29th of September 2021. Please look at your calendars and let us know if you will be available on those dates. Also, if you have made reservations for lodging at the park you will want to call and cancel them before September 20, 2020 to avoid being charged for the room. If you are available and will be with us next September you can simply reschedule your accommodations. Please wait until after Monday August 17, to allow the Park to get our arrangements transferred in their system. You can contact Lake Cumberland State Park by calling 270-343-3111.