| Revision as of 23:06, 20 December 2024 editBigturtle (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers20,057 edits New article | Revision as of 23:09, 20 December 2024 edit undoBigturtle (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers20,057 editsm Improved a citationNext edit → | ||
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| |coordinates={{coords|37.0879|-82.9925|region:US-KY|display=inline, title}}<ref name="EKU">{{cite |
|coordinates={{coords|37.0879|-82.9925|region:US-KY|display=inline, title}}<ref name="EKU">{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Lilley Cornett Woods Appalachian Research Station Initiated into the Old-Growth Forest Network |url= |work=] |location=Richmond, Kentucky |date=June 13, 2023 |access-date=December 20, 2024}}</ref> | ||
| |area={{convert|659|acre}}<ref name="EKU"/> | |area={{convert|659|acre}}<ref name="EKU"/> | ||
| |established=1971 | |established=1971 | ||
Revision as of 23:09, 20 December 2024
| Lilley Cornett Woods | |
|---|---|
  Map of Kentucky | |
| Location | Whitesburg, Kentucky |
| Coordinates | 37°05′16″N 82°59′33″W / 37.0879°N 82.9925°W / 37.0879; -82.9925 |
| Area | 659 acres (267 ha) |
| Established | 1971 |
| Governing body | Eastern Kentucky University |
| U.S. National Natural Landmark | |
| Designated | 1971 |
Lilley Cornett Woods is a 659-acre forested land parcel within Letcher County, Kentucky. Of the overall parcel, 252 acres are classified as old growth forest and listed as a National Natural Landmark (NNL). The overall parcel is owned by, and the NNL is protected by, Eastern Kentucky University.
Description
The Lilley Cornett Woods are a surviving example of the forest growth of the Appalachian Mountains. Eastern Kentucky University, which operates the Appalachian Economical Research Station within the parcel, reports that the parcel contains 72 woody plant species and 468 other plant species. This diversity affirms the old-growth status of the central wooded area within the parcel. The old-growth area has been disturbed by (i) longtime livestock-forestry interactions typical of Appalachian human ecology, and (ii) salvage logging of the blight-struck, dead and dying American chestnuts that used to live in the old-growth woods.
Surviving large trees in the old-growth section of the Lilley Cornett Woods include a white oak that has been tree-ring-dated to 1669, more than 350 years before the present. The Woods are named in honor of the parcel's longtime owner and guardian, a private citizen who is reported to have refused all offers from loggers. The State of Kentucky purchased the old-growth section of the land parcel from Cornett's heirs in 1969.
The Woods were named as a National Natural Landmark in 1971. They were initiated into the Old-Growth Forest Network in 2023.
References
- ^ "Lilley Cornett Woods Appalachian Research Station Initiated into the Old-Growth Forest Network". Eastern Kentucky University. Richmond, Kentucky. June 13, 2023.
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