Forestry and woodland operations are a significant contributor to the rural economy of Clay County and all of Eastern Kentucky.  In conjunction with the University of Kentucky Department of Forestry and state agencies, Clay County hosted the 2019 Eastern Region Woodland Owners' Short Course. The event offered Gold (for the more experienced forest landowner) and Green (for the landowner new to management of forested land) tracts as well as classroom and field experiences.  This is the first time that Clay County had hosted the event and over 56 landowners attended the day long course from Clay and surrounding counties. 

The Clay County Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent and leaders visited radio stations, posted flyers and made contacts to invite Clay County landowners to the course.  The ANR Agent also arranged meeting space, for catering, and helped with setup and cleanup.  He also worked with a local leader to provide the outdoor classroom area to show participants.

Survey results from the meeting indicated that knowledge was gained about increasing revenue from timber sales, improving wildlife habitat, cultivating woodland productivity, and recovering woodland health.  Several Clay County producers have gotten management plans through the Kentucky Division of Forestry because of what they learned.  One landowner went further and had their property surveyed and found that their property had timber stolen and were seeking to be reimbursed for their loss.