Berea College Forestry

Glen and his summer student crew work daily on various projects to manage and restore the forest and our hiking trails. This morning, they cleared a downed tree from the main trail at the Pinnacles. Throughout the summer, students Natasha and Levi have developed equipment and saw skills to make short work of this job. 💪

Take a look at this gorgeous visitor--an imperial moth! These moths have nearly perfect camouflage when compared to a drying tulip poplar leaf...a little less so up against the bright red barn!

An update on Berea's American Chestnut grove and the hopes that the trees will contribute to pollination efforts in other locations, or will naturally pollinate!

Many folks ask us about the story of the American Chestnut tree and how to get some of their own to try and revive their populations.
Here is an answer, thanks to the American Chestnut Foundation!

Have you been wondering if you can get seeds or seedlings shipped to you? This chart will tell you! Due to agricultural restrictions, we are not allowed to send seeds or seedlings to the west coast.

The chance to receive seeds or seedlings from TACF's national office has passed for 2024, but if you'd like the chance to get some in 2025, visit https://tacf.org/american-chestnut-seeds-and-seedlings/ for more details.
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Keep in mind, If you join your state chapter then you may be able to get seeds or seedlings at other times of the year, so go volunteer and see what your chapter has to offer!

*UPDATE*
The Owsley Fork Reservoir Boat Ramp on Radford Hollow Rd. will now be closed through Thursday, 6/20 for ditch and grading work.
PLEASE adhere to marked off areas.
Non-trailered boats can still put in at the park/parking area across the lake on Owsley Fork Rd.
Thank you!

*EDIT:
The ramp will now be CLOSED THROUGH THURSDAY, 6/20.
Please adhere to marked off areas. Will share updated graphic tomorrow.

*EDIT:
The ramp will now be CLOSED THROUGH THURSDAY, 6/20.
Please adhere to marked off areas. Will share updated graphic tomorrow.

The boat ramp at Owsley Fork Reservoir will be CLOSED Monday 6/17 through Wednesday 6/19 for ditch and grading work.

Non-trailered boats can still put in on the other side of the lake at the park/parking area on Owsley Fork Rd.

*EDIT:
The ramp will now be CLOSED THROUGH THURSDAY, 6/20.
Please adhere to marked off areas. Will share updated graphic tomorrow.

The boat ramp at Owsley Fork Reservoir will be CLOSED Monday 6/17 through Wednesday 6/19 for ditch and grading work.

Non-trailered boats can still put in on the other side of the lake at the park/parking area on Owsley Fork Rd.

A friend came by to visit on this rainy day... This Eastern Box Turtle was moving as fast as a turtle can across our lawn! John, our ecologist, said they are a 20+ year old male. Throughout their lives, box turtles will stay within quite a small radius of land. We checked our photos, and this is the first time this individual has been found (their shells are like fingerprints--each one is unique and identifiable). He is missing some digits on one front foot and his whole back left foot is missing. This little one has seen a whole lot of life and we are honored to have met him today. 🐢♥️

Appalachian chairmakers from across the country will be at Berea College on June 2 for a hands-on event taking a deep dive into the art of chairmaking.

Each of the 13 chairmakers is represented in the first book by Andy Glenn, former director of Berea College’s Woodcraft program and the Woodworking School at Pine Croft.

In his book, “Backwoods Chairmakers: In Search of the Appalachian Ladderback Chairmaker,” Glenn journeys the mountains with his camera and tape recorder to find traditional chairmakers within a world overrun with furniture factories and automation.

Tickets are $33 per person and can be purchased here: https://bit.ly/4bpfmWW

A very cool image of the draft horse barn!

Steve and Wilma Collins of Big Hill shared this film photo of the Berea College horse barn on Short Line Pike. This photo was taken with a Pentax Me Super 35mm film camera (1979-84) and was the first frame Steve captured after finding the camera in their garage. Steve and Wilma’s grandson, Taylor, was recently accepted to Berea College and will attend in the fall.

The Berea College Forest and Berea College Forestry Outreach Center are included on the Kentucky Academy of Science's new Kentucky Science Trail! There's lists and a map of over 70 places across the state to visit. Perfect timing for summer! Check it out here: https://www.kyscience.org/kentucky_science_trail.php?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3lnW2biPM171vItfo2LpZscm6-zNUDzF5E_hSEverntkDaGZvn8sUJfko_aem_AYZyz_V65LGqOvoskqc8QXHDH_ieJxDDT8IP48U_QncWzMHX2g54swgGjlAGHZQFykIpV00sQU7hIPyYJikCHfyO

Kentucky Science Trail - Kentucky Academy of Science The Doran Arboretum at Murray State University is a public educational display garden located on the Pullen Farm at Murray State and a favorite destination for people of all ages. You can take a stroll on a 0.8 mile long track and wander through student-maintained gardens while viewing an ever gr...

Today, three of our labor students reached the amazing milestone of graduation! We are so happy for them and are excited to see what their bright futures hold. Congratulations, Lilli Shelton, Joseph Marks, and Finn Mahoney! 🥳

A very happy birthday to two horses on our team--Lucy, now 3 years old, and Willow, now 13 years old!
Lucy was the first foal born and raised at the College that is starting training to work in the woods. She'll be a part of a team in no time, joining Willow in the work of animal-powered restorative forestry.
🐴 You can read full bios of the horses and mules here: https://forestryoutreach.berea.edu/meet-the-draft-horse-team/

There have been a few folks asking about the timber harvest on Highway 21 as you go past the Pinnacles towards Bighill. We have some exciting news... please read the full article at the link below to learn about the management in that area.

"There is a newly cleared path through the woods at the entrance to the gravel road that leads to the Berea Municipal Utilities water plant. This is going to be the entrance to a new parking lot which will be put in to provide access to a new forest management interpretive trail which will extend all the way through the Berea College Forest to Burnt Ridge Road. Within a year, we hope to open up this new trail system to hikers. The trail will provide an opportunity for visitors to see many examples of forest management as well as our American Chestnut Mother Orchard. Stay tuned for more on this later. Invasive species around the parking lot area, along the highway, will be cleared and native grasses and forbs planted to replace them. The area will look messy for a while like the harvest area, but I think the public will be very happy with where this is going and what’s coming." -- Clint Patterson, Berea College Forester

Full article on page 3 of the Berea College Forestry Outreach Center May newsletter available on their website, forestryoutreach.berea.edu.

In April, the Berea College Forestry Department planted a white oak seed orchard using seedlings from the Kentucky Division of Forestry (KDF). The orchard is a part of a white oak tree improvement program led by the University of Kentucky, which contributes to efforts to promote white oak sustainability through growing high-quality white oak seedlings. The seedlings planted in the new seed orchard are the top 1% in quality currently being grown in the KDF nursery. When they mature and cross-pollinate, their acorns can be used to grow more high-quality white oak seedlings.
Each sapling has a cage and pink flagging around it for protection.

Happy Earth day! Good day for a prescribed burn on the Berea College Forest. Thanks Kentucky Division of Forestry, Wildlife and our students for helping out our staff. 👍🏻😀

Berea College Forestry and the Kentucky Division of Forestry will be conducting a prescribed burn on a section of the forest at the Pinnacles the week of 4/22/24. Please adhere to closed trail signs and visit the FOC or our website (forestryoutreach.berea.edu) for more info.
**The West Barton Trailhead and all West Pinnacle trails will be closed**
After the burn and the area is re-opened learn more by walking the interpretive Burn Loop trail!

Happy "Sweet 16", Holly!
A beautiful and hardworking horse, Holly has seniority in the barn. She is currently helping her daughter, Lucy, learn the ways of the woods.

Progression... new tulip poplar tree leaves unfurling from their buds.

The connection between us and where our food comes from and who is raising/planting it is important to understand for our well-being and the health of the environment. The College Farm teaches invaluable skills to students and shares the fruits of their labor with us all through the Farm Store and various local businesses.
Each animal in agriculture, whether they are for meat, dairy, or labor/land management, like in the Forestry Department, deserves all of the respect and care that the folks who work with them give. Happy Farm Animal Day!

Kentucky Tick Surveillance Project accepting submissions, advancing public health research and safety The Kentucky Tick Surveillance Project is now accepting tick-testing submissions from Kentucky residents. This project, produced by the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, aims to improve knowledge about where ticks are found and the diseases they might...

A great team effort for an evening of raking, baking, and stacking hay!

We've got an awesome crew of students working with the horses this year!

Please be on the lookout if at the Pinnacles or close by.

Edit:
One has been found a mile from the release site. If you or someone you know lives close by, please check yards, declines, etc. Tortoises can travel surprising distances in a short amount of time and we believe they were released sometime within the last 3 weeks.
It's been brought to our attention that a few Russian tortoises like this one were released here near the old Forest Service/theater site by the west trailhead parking lot of the Pinnacles. If you see a tortoise like this while at the Pinnacles or on the Stephenson Trail, please call our ecologist 859-907-1405.
NOTE: What is most important to us is that they are found and safe, so please report it if you find one. These tortoises are not camouflaged and can not retreat into their shells like our native box turtles. This leaves them vulnerable to predators.