'Get their hands dirty': Kentucky Forest Leadership Program educates youth about the great outdoors
By Christopher Carney
Aug. 14, 2026
Video by Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.
CLAYHOLE, Ky. (Aug. 14, 2026) — University of Kentucky’s Robinson Forest, a 14,800-acre forest located within the Cumberland Plateau, is home to one of the world's most diverse forest regions, offering valuable knowledge and discoveries about forestry, hydrology, soils, wildlife, and ecology.
Kentucky Forest Leadership Program (KFLP)
Robinson Forest, part of the Robinson Center and administered by the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR) at the UK Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE), annually hosts a group of high school students participating in the KFLP.
During a week-long experience in June, KFLP students from Kentucky and beyond learned about topics including forests, trees, insects, water, and wildlife. The interactive programming, facilitated outdoors in the Robinson Forest, was led by industry professionals and researchers from the UK Cooperative Extension Service, Kentucky Division of Forestry, Kentucky Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Kentucky Division of Conservation.
Laurie Thomas, UK Extension Forester
Laurie Thomas, UK Extension forester and associate for outreach education at Martin-Gatton CAFE, said KFLP offers a unique opportunity for high school students to roll up their sleeves and get more immersed in Kentucky’s natural resources:
“Robinson Forest offers the perfect ecosystem, and all the resources are here for the students,” Thomas said. “Students get to learn all about trees and forestry, wildlife in our Eastern Kentucky forest, and insects, along with different career tracks. Everything is right here for them to get outside and get their hands dirty.”
Educational Tracks
Students were selected from one of three educational tracks: forestry, entomology, or wildlife.
- Forestry track: Students learned about tree identification, land surveying, soil science, fire management, Kentucky wildlife, water quality evaluation, and computer mapping.
- Entomology track: Offers curriculum for students interested in learning more about Kentucky’s insects and their impact on the state’s forests.
- Wildlife track: Students completed a Wildlife Habitat Assessment by conducting surveys for reptiles and amphibians, signs of mammals such as tracks, scat, and damage, and birds and bats using new acoustics technology.
Student Experiences
Returning KFLP participant Lucy Duebber from Campbell County shared her appreciation for the program:
"I really like learning with my hands and with other people that are interested in the same things that I am,” Duebber said. "There’s so much to learn—you get a taste of everything, like the tree identification, the wildlife, and water and soil testing, all in the same place. KFLP lets you go to work and figure it out, which I really like. You just don’t get this anywhere else."
State Forester's Perspective
Brandon Howard, FNR alum, director of the Kentucky Division of Forestry, and Kentucky’s state forester, believes that “knowing trees is wisdom” for KFLP students:
"We have a forest here that is beautiful and highly productive—it’s an outdoor classroom for students to understand the history and what can become of good forest management practices,” Howard said. "We have a critical partnership with the University of Kentucky, and they have done an amazing job in making sure that this outdoor classroom offers a wide variety of resources related to forestry here in Kentucky."
Conclusion (as per original text)
Thomas emphasized the importance of the KFLP experience: “it’s important that, after completing the KFLP, students continue to explore opportunities to protect and manage our natural resources.”