Forests are central to Kentucky’s economic and ecological wellbeing. The state is 47% forested with over 12 million acres of woodlands and the forest sector contributes over $13.5 billion annually to the state’s economy including over 60,398 jobs.   The vast majority of woodlands in the state are family owned.  Supporting these woodland owners is key and Extension specialists and county agents across the state, partnering with agencies like Kentucky Division of Forestry as well as consulting foresters, field a range of questions from the public and try to best equip landowners to successfully manage their woods.  

 Traditionally this has happened largely through in-person Extension programming and connections.   However, in light of changing landowner demographics, increased social media use, and the increased need for delivering information remotely, we created a new KY Forest Health YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiItqhhx_XZC-0vMgCRW9YQ ) in 2020 to fill this gap and provide key information related to forestry and natural resources.  

In the past year, the KY Forest Health YouTube page has grown, attracting over 6,106 views, 456 hours of watch time, and 121 subscribers.  This reflects a major increase from a year ago (2,053 views and 23 subscribers).  This page features over 100 videos on a range of topics with popular playlists including “What’s Bugging My Tree?” “Pesky Plants,” and “All About Mushrooms.”  This YouTube page has also provided a convenient way to make past Zoom webinars available, such as the 2021 Laurel Wilt Disease Training, 2021 KY Invasive Plant Conference, and 2022 KY Forest Health Conference.

 This YouTube page has provided a convenient way to engage the public about forest health and we hope to continue to grow this into the future.