By Brenna Angel, Kentucky Public RadioThe Kentucky Division of Forestry is out with its assessment on the current status and future of wooded landscapes across the Commonwealth.Forest health has been identified as the number one issue facing Kentucky’s wooded landscapes, according to a report issued this week by the state Division of Forestry.“As far as insect and disease threats, we have concerns with the emerald ash borer that has potential impact to cause fatality of our ash trees across over the entire state as it is introduced from the north. Also in our southeast area of Kentucky is the hemlock woolly adelgid threat,” said Stewart West with the division's stewardship program.West says based on results of an online public survey, nearly two thousand respondents named water quality, forest fragmentation, forest management, and funding as other major issues of concern. Kentucky will use the federally-mandated assessment as its forest strategy guide over the next five years.The full report can be seen here.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.