Kentucky's woodlands are like an idle bank account that doesn't have an investment plan for the future.

"Forests provide a lot of benefits to society like (the conservation of) soil, water, and wildlife, but it takes management to realize potential," said Billy Thomas, a forester with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.

According to the 2003 Kentucky Forest Inventory, Kentucky has an estimated 11.9 million acres of forest, 89 percent of which is privately owned.

Woodlands cover about 47 percent of the state, but a majority of our forests are not managed, especially those with absentee landowners.

The Cooperative Extension Service and the Kentucky Division of Forestry are co-sponsoring a seminar Jan. 30 for Kentucky woodlands owners in hopes of creating interest in managing property for wildlife, recreation or income from timber sales.

"The health of our forests are being challenged by fragmentation and (the absence) of management," Thomas said. "We're targeting absentee landowners because they are often the most responsive and have the resources to get the work done."

Kentucky has an estimated 400,000 forest owners, many of whom don't recognize the present and future value of the stands of hardwood timber on their property.

Since 1988, when the previous forest inventory was completed, there has been a decrease of 769,000 acres of forest, a three-percent net loss, but the quality of Kentucky's hardwood timber is high. Kentucky's forestlands are maturing rapidly, with a six-percent increase in the number of acres with sawtimber stands. About 65 percent of Kentucky's woodlands contain harvestable trees.

Woodlands as small as 10 acres can benefit from management plans. "The first step is to get some professional technical guidance," Thomas said. "The Kentucky Division of Forestry offers free forest assessments, or you can hire a paid consultant."

Winter is the best time to work in woodlands. The leaves are down, there are no bothersome insects and it's much easier to inventory stands of trees.

For landowners interested in using forests for recreational purposes, a good first step is to create trails that can be used for hiking, wildlife observation, horseback riding, or quiet access to woodlands for deer and wild turkey hunting. Trails should be mowed and kept wide enough to serve as fire breaks (10 to 12 feet). "Trails also provide access in case of fire and provide foresters access for management practices," Thomas said.

Trails are typically seeded in grasses and clovers, which are beneficial to wildlife.

Thomas said landowners can secure financial help in the form of cost-share programs for most forest management projects. "Visit your local conservation district offices to find out what programs are available in your county," he said.

If wildlife is a forestry management goal, timber stand improvement (TSI) is a good practice for removing selected trees to improve the health and growth rate of remaining, more desirable species.

TSI eliminates crowding and reduces competition, while increasing sunlight, moisture and nutrients available to remaining trees. This practice is recommended if your goal is to improve the quality of a stand of oak trees, for example, which produce acorns eaten by deer, wild turkeys, squirrels and other species of forest wildlife. There's generally a small charge for marking trees that should be cut.

Creating small openings in the forest is another way to benefit wildlife because it allows sunlight to reach the forest floor, encouraging plants that provide food and cover. Cut stands of small cedar trees, brush and saplings of undesirable species of hardwoods, then pile them up to create nesting cover for rabbits and wild turkeys.

Income from forest lands can come from many sources: selling valuable logs, leasing hunting rights, nut production and crafts such as basket making, grapevine wreaths and seasonal greenery. Thomas said some of the most valuable wood is hard maple (sugar maple), walnut and cherry. "Maple is in high demand for furniture and cabinets, and walnut and cherry bring a high price because it's hard to find in quantity and quality," he said.

It is vitally important to have a management plan. "You need to know what you have and what the land will support, keeping your future forest in mind," Thomas said. "You need to ensure that you have enough seedling coming on to give you mature trees in the future."