Elk continue to thrive in the hills and hollers of the Bluegrass State since their reintroduction in 1997, thanks in part to RMEF’s steadfast support in helping to conserve and enhance habitat throughout the herd’s range. To date, RMEF’s work in Kentucky and Tennessee totals nearly 360 projects across almost 169,000 acres with a value of $23 million.
In 2025, RMEF granted funding to the Kentucky Division of Forestry (KDF) to help improve the quality of timber stands in the Kentucky Ridge State Forest. Aiming to promote the regeneration and growth of oaks and hickories, KDF used the “hack and squirt” method, where an incision is made in the bark of a tree and an herbicide sprayed into it, to remove less desirable species such as maple, black gum and beech trees.
Important to the state’s timber industry, oak and hickory trees also provide an essential food source for wildlife: elk, white-tailed deer, black bears, wild turkeys, grouse, squirrels, songbirds and a host of other species chow down on the trees’ nuts during winter when grasses, forbs and other foods are scarce.