We planted over 1000 trees in the early Spring of 2021 as one of a five-part process to improve the habitat of the farm property.

Before purchasing this farm, the field and the river had been neglected for decades. Once a tobacco farm may decades ago, it was left to go fallow. The creek banks were left bare and undercut, and erosion was a significant issue. The field’s native grasses and forbs were replaced by a near-monoculture of fescue and non-palatable and non-native weeds.

The first process was to replant the entire field with warm season grasses, which I did in 2020. After that, the edges of the field were prepped and prepared for the tree plantings. This planting creates a riparian buffer to support the creek banks and provide food, bedding, and travel corridors for wildlife. Each tree species were specifically selected by our <<>> for its hard and soft mass nut and fruits which will provide food for wildlife. They included a variety of oaks and fruit-bearing saplings.

One year later, I was delighted to see they were doing well. It’s still a lot of work as I have to keep the grasses from overpowering the saplings and will have to flag and clear around each one to give them their best chance for survival.

With that said, I have been amazed at how well they have done. The trees survived their first winter, which included ten plus floods. The few that I found broken off at the base from a deer were re-sprouting and shooting up nicely. It is inspiring to see how resilient mother nature is.

You can learn more on how you can improve your property by visiting the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources website. and get involved in their “I Support Wildlife” Program.

I wanted to send out a big thanks to Randal Alcorn and all state biologists that support the public landowners.