According to the Kentucky Division of Forestry, Kentucky has one of the most diverse hardwood species mix in the nation, second only to Florida.  75% of the forestland is classified as the oak-hickory forest type (www.forestry.ky.gov). Forested land in the state actually increased from an estimated 11.7 million acres in 1963 to an estimated 12.5 million acres in 2011 which is an increase of nearly 7%.  Approximately 7 billion live trees are growing in Kentucky's forests which is about 1,600 trees for every person living in the state (USFS e-Science Update SRS-073, July 2013).  

The Kentucky landscape has remained ~45-48% forested for the last 50 years and many state parks, national parks, and other forested parks have been established in every region of the state.  Nearly half of Kentucky's counties have a state park and a 2015 study cited by the Kentucky Association of Counties estimated the economic impact of the state park system at $889 million. 7.9 million people visited Kentucky state parks in 2019. In 2021, park lodges generated $18.3 million with over 162,000 reservations (www.kentuckymonthly.com). Many of the state parks have campgrounds which are popular destinations for both in-state and out-of-state visitors. In 2021, state park campgrounds generated $6.1 million with nearly 80,000 reservations (www.kentuckymonthly.com).

In addition to the tourism aspect of the forests, Kentucky’s forest and wood industry is extremely important to the state. According to a report from the University of Kentucky Department of Forestry, the 2022 economic contributions of Kentucky's forest sector include over $9 billion in direct economic contribution, over $13 billion in total economic contributions, nearly 26,000 jobs in the forest sector and nearly 50,000 jobs overall (Kentucky Forest Sector Economic Contribution Report 2021-2022).  

The establishment of invasive pests of trees would have an extremely negative impact on the ecology of Kentucky’s forests as well as Kentucky’s economy in terms of tourism, international lumber exports, and the forest and wood industry in the state.       

Year	Number of Forested Sites	Pests in Survey (0 found unless noted)	Map
2023	20	Oak Ambrosia Beetle Oak Processionary Moth False Codling Moth Rosy Moth Asian Spongy Moth Asian Longhorned Beetle Spotted Lanternfly* *Found in Gallatin Co in Oct 2023, not as part of this survey
2022	20	Oak Ambrosia Beetle Oak Processionary Moth False Codling Moth Rosy Moth Light Brown Apple Moth Spotted Lanternfly Asian Longhorned Beetle
2021	20	Oak Processionary Moth Rosy Moth Oak Ambrosia Beetle Oak Splendour Beetle False Codling Moth
2020	20	Oak Processionary Moth Light Brown Apple Moth Rosy Moth Oak Ambrosia Beetle Oak Splendour Beetle
2019	20	Variegated Golden Tortrix Oak Processionary Moth Green Oak Tortrix False Codling Moth Rosy Moth
2018	20	Variegated Golden Tortrix Oak Processionary Moth Green Oak Tortrix False Codling Moth Rosy Moth
2017	20	Variegated Golden Tortrix Oak Processionary Moth Green Oak Tortrix False Codling Moth Rosy Moth Egyptian Cottonworm
2016	20	Summer Fruit Tortrix Variegated Golden Tortrix Rosy Moth Egyptian Cottonworm Oak Processionary Moth False Codling Moth Green Oak Tortrix
2015	20	Summer Fruit Tortrix Variegated Golden Tortrix Light Brown Apple Moth Rosy Moth Egyptian Cottonworm Oak Processionary Moth Green Oak Tortrix False Codling Moth Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
2014	20	Summer Fruit Tortrix Variegated Golden Tortrix Light Brown Apple Moth Rosy Moth Egyptian Cottonworm Oak Processionary Moth Green Oak Tortrix False Codling Moth Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
2013	22	Summer Fruit Tortrix Variegated Golden Tortrix Light Brown Apple Moth Rosy Moth Egyptian Cottonworm Oak Processionary Moth Green Oak Tortrix False Codling Moth Hemlock Woolly Adelgid* *159 positive trees (Powell, Magoffin, Martin Counties)