Knobs State Forest

Knobs State Forest and Wildlife Management Area is a 2,035 acre state forest located in Bullitt County, Kentucky, United States. The forest is located about 28 miles south of Louisville, Kentucky. It is managed for sustainable timber production. [1]

Knobs State Forest and Wildlife Management Area
Terminus of the orange trail
Location in the United States
Location in Kentucky
LocationBullitt County, Kentucky
Nearest cityShepherdsville, Kentucky
Coordinates37°52′53″N 85°40′35″W
Area2,035 acres (8.24 km2)
Max. elevation975 feet (297 m)
Min. elevation467 feet (142 m)
Established2006
Governing bodyDepartment of Natural Resources, Division of Forests

History

The tract of land that would eventually become Knobs State Forest and Wildlife Management Area is a former tree farm that has a long history of logging. In the 1840s the forest was rapidly cleared and was then selectively logged in 1980s and 1990s.[2] Knobs State Forest was established in July 2006 when 1,110 acres were purchased using $3.3 million from the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund. Making it the Kentucky's sixth state owned forest[3] and its first Forest Legacy Project.[4] It was expanded in November 2006 and again in October 2018 with the purchase of 429 and 496 acres respectively.[1]

The 2018 purchase was part of a project to create a wildlife corridor linking Knobs State Forest with nearby Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest.[5] Incidentally, during the period 1959–1980, 4,000 acres of the Bernheim property was leased by the State of Kentucky and bore the name Knobs State Forest.[6]

Ecology

The area of the reserve is 93% forested with the remaining 7% being open land.[7] It contains at least 198 different plant species including one infrequent species; the butterfly pea. White and chestnut oak account for 60% of the tree canopy.[2] There are no lakes or ponds in the forest. The only water sources are Crooked Creek in the north of the forest and Cain Run which originates in the south of the forest.[7]

See also

References
  1. "Knobs State Forest and Wildlife Management Area". eec.ky.gov. Frankfort, KY: Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet. Archived from the original on May 4, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  2. "Knobs State Forest and Wildlife Management Area". eec.ky.gov. Frankfort, KY: Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet. Archived from the original on May 4, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  3. "TPL Helps Create New Kentucky State Forest". www.tpl.org. Clemont, KY: The Trust for Public Land. August 24, 2006. Archived from the original on May 4, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  4. "Knobs State Forest: More to See" (pdf). Unbridled Voice. Frankfort,KY. January 2007. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 5, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  5. Landon, Amy (2018-10-29). "Nearly 1,000 acres of Bullitt land now part of preserved property". bernheim.org. Frankfort, KY: The Pioneer News. Archived from the original on 2020-05-16. Retrieved 2020-05-16.
  6. "Bernheim at 90: Mac McClure, A Future of Preservation". bernheim.org. Clermont, Kentucky: Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest. December 13, 2019. Archived from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  7. "Knobs State Forest and Wildlife Management Area" (pdf). fw.ky.gov. Frankfort, KY: Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife. August 1, 2019. Archived from the original on May 5, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.