Kentucky Natural Resources
...nt of minerals, especially phosphorus, and of organic matter. Plant Life Before Kentucky was extensively settled, forests covered nearly all of the region. Forests now cover 49 percent of the state’s land area. Most of the forest lands in Kentucky include numerous species of trees. these major tree species include the tulip tree the American beech, white basswood, sweet buckeye, red oak, white oak, and sugar maple. The Kentucky coffee tree The eastern hemlock, Birches, Pitch pines and other species of pine. Animal Life White-tailed deer and black bear The red wolf red fox, gray fox, beaver, Virginia opossum, woodchuck, fox squirrel, red and gray squirrel, cottontail, mink, muskrat, skunk, and raccoon. Birds include cardinal, bluejay, Carolina chickadee, tufted titmouse, crow, white-breasted nuthatch, several species of hawks, owls, woodpeckers, and sparrows. Common migratory birds include the catbird, brown thrasher, great crested flycatcher, slate-colored junco, golden-crowned kinglet, yellow-bellied sapsucker, cedar waxwing, and many species of warbler. the bobwhite, wo...