According to Kentucky Agriculture Statistics, Clay County has 301,000 acres of total land mass with 263,849 acres that is forested.  Seventy percent of the forested land is controlled by private land owners. The Kentucky Division of Forestry reports that 67% of the measured timber is Grade 3 or below, and as such is not managed for either wildlife, recreation or timber activities.  

With this in mind, the Clay County Extension Service hosted the 2019 Getting to Know Your Woodlands Webinar Series: A Primer for Beginners.  The webinar series targeted private woodland owners in order to assist them in the management of their woodlands.  Sessions included:  Getting to Know Your Woodlands, Managing Your Woodlands, Wildlife and Woodlands, and Forestry and Wildlife Assistance in Kentucky.  The webinars were conducted via Blackboard Collaborate and Zoom, partnering with the University of Kentucky and other Forestry Extension Units from the Southeast United States.

Clay County had 23 landowners participate in the four webinars representing 4,153 acres of forested land.  Three Master Loggers received continuing education hours because of their attendance.

Evaluations from the webinars showed that Clay County participants gained knowledge about their woodlands.   Ninety percent indicated that they now know who to contact with questions about their woodland as a result of the workshops.  Over half of the participants indicated that they plan to contact a natural resource professional within the next three months about their property.  Already four participants have in fact contacted a resource professional about their forested land.  Participants also indicated that they would recommend the webinars to other woodland owners.  

Long-term impacts from this program will result in participants’ enhanced ability to address a variety of woodland related issues, resulting in increased revenue, increased woodland productivity, and improved woodland health.  These benefits occur to the individual, their county and our Commonwealth.