Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Kentucky Forestry Technical Expertise Threatened


By Jeff Stringer

The loss of forestry technical expertise in the private and public sector continues in Kentucky. This is due to a number of factors the most important is the overall economy and softness of the timber markets.

Potential Budget Cuts to the Kentucky Division of Forestry

The state budget situation is at the heart of potential cuts to the Kentucky Division of Forestry (KDF). For several years KDF has been struggling with diminishing budgets and there is also the real possibility of further cuts to KDF. Secretary Peter’s recently indicated further budgetary reductions to the KDF that ultimately will result in a loss of personnel. This is due to overall reductions in state agency budgets. Regardless, there is little doubt that the reduction will result in the loss of services to landowners in Kentucky according to a number of interested citizens and organizations, most notably the Kentucky Woodland Owners Association. The KDF provides a wide range of services including tree seedlings, wildfire suppression, woodland management planning for landowners, logging inspections and forest inventory analysis. The KDF also provides education and awareness for woodland owners and urban forest owners. It is an important cog necessary for determining forest industry economic data and forest inventory information that is used by the feds and everyone in Kentucky that deals with woodland issues including the University of Kentucky.

In recognition of the importance of the KDF representatives of the Kentucky Woodland Owners Association and others met recently with the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet leadership to express their concern and support for the KDF and the vital role they play in caring for Kentucky’s woodlands which cover 49% of the state. 

Loss of Consulting Foresters

Besides the loss of potential forestry capacity in the Kentucky Division of Forestry Kentucky has been faced with the loss of two consulting foresters in the last month. Pat Cleary owner of Highlands Forestry, Inc. was one the preeminent forestry consultants in Kentucky and the stalwart for eastern Kentucky landowners. Pat has provided services for a large number of landowners in eastern Kentucky for the last 20 years and was an active member of the Kentucky Association of Consulting Foresters and the Society of American Foresters. As of August Pat is state forest manager with the Indiana Division of Forestry. The loss of Pat was a result of the extremely poor timber market in eastern and southeast Kentucky. The most recent loss is Jim Funk and his company Forest Synergy, LLC., (www.forestsynergy.com) located in central Kentucky. Jim was long-time staff with the Kentucky Division of Forestry and has stayed active in forestry providing consulting services primarily in central and northern Kentucky. While he handled many forestry tasks he focused on providing landowners assistance with eastern redcedar.

Two out of 19 Kentucky Association of Consulting Foresters is a ten percent reduction in consulting forester capacity and in conjunction with the potential loss of KDF positions only exacerbates the problems faced by landowners in Kentucky that are needing their assistance.