This forest has been logged. Beginning In the early 1800's, local residents selected choice poplars, oaks and chestnuts for their own uso. The difficulty In transporting logs' out of this region caused the forest to be left mostly undisturbed until the 1880's, when the Kentucky Union Lumber Company built a railroad up the Rod River Valley.
The loggers left their wives and familles behind and came here to live in crude bunkhouses in lumber camps scattered throughout the reglon. Working long hours and in all kinds of weather, they cut selected trees with crosseut saws and dragged the logs out of the woods with teams of oxen. Most of the logs were moved to Clay City where they wero sawed into lumber.
This forest was not cleareut. The loggers only took the largest and most valuable trees. When they were through, the forest had changed, but not forover.
The forest you see today is the result of over 100 years of growth since the last log was taken out.
Logging continues to be an important industry in this region although certain areas have been set aside and will never be logged again. By thoughtfully deciding where, when and how to cut timber, we can continue to make and use wood products and still protect our forests.
