‘Get their hands dirty’: Kentucky Forest Leadership Program educates youth about the great outdoors
CLAYHOLE, Ky. (Aug. 14, 2026) — University of Kentucky’s Robinson Forest, a 14,800-acre forest located inside the Cumberland Plateau, is home to one of the most diverse forest regions in the world, offering valuable knowledge and discoveries about forestry, hydrology, soils, wildlife and ecology.
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 Kentucky Forest Leadership Program (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 at 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 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.”
Students selected from one of three educational tracks: forestry, entomology or wildlife.
In the forestry track, students learn about tree identification, land surveying, soil science, fire management, Kentucky wildlife, water quality evaluation and computer mapping. Wildlife track students complete a Wildlife Habitat Assessment by conducting surveys for reptiles and amphibians; for signs of mammals such as tracks, scat and damage; and for birds and bats using new acoustics technology. The entomology track offers curriculum for students who want to learn more about Kentucky’s insects and their impact on the state’s forests.
Lucy Duebber, Campbell County resident and returning KFLP participant, said she enjoys learning by doing with other students her age, along with the unique opportunity for self-discovery.
“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 the water and soil testing, and 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.”
Brandon Howard, FNR alum, director of the Kentucky Division of Forestry and Kentucky’s state forester, believes that “knowing trees is wisdom” for the 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.”
Thomas said it’s important that, after completing the KFLP program, students have not only gained more knowledge but have also become future ambassadors.
“We want them to become a voice for natural resources and the environment,” Thomas said. “By having that knowledge and understanding, we are setting them up to make good decisions about our natural resources and environment. They are going out into the world and becoming our future leaders.”
KFLP is funded by the UK Forestry and Natural Resources Department with in-kind support from the Kentucky Division of Forestry and the UK Department of Entomology. Scholarships are provided by the Kentucky Division of Conservation, UK Cooperative Extension Service and Kentucky Woodland Owners Foundation. The KFLP’s student tuition covers meals and lodging.
Learn more about the Kentucky Forest Leadership Program at kflp.mgcafe.uky.edu and the UK Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at forestry.mgcafe.uky.edu.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and healthcare. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $1.02 billion research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.