Our 13,400-acre Elk Sustainable Wildlife Forestry Project is one of two Improved Forest Management Projects managed by The Forestland Group (TFG) on neighboring properties located in southeastern Kentucky. Elk historically teemed here alongside abundant populations of buffalo, river otters, turkeys, bald eagles, and deer, but all were extinguished by hunting and land development in the 1800s. Records indicate that the last elk in this region was killed before the Civil War began. Re-introduced between 1997-2002, majestic elk now roam these forests once more. Portions of the property participate in state-managed Wildlife Management Areas. Together, Boone and Elk provide critical habitat connectivity for species such as black bear, deer, and re-introduced elk herds in this beautiful area of Appalachia. The forest exemplifies southern Appalachia with steep, forested mountain slopes and narrow valleys, covered by over 100 species of trees —yellow poplar and a variety of oaks including white, northern red, and black oak provide the dominant forest cover. Southern Appalachia is one of the most diverse tree communities in the nation, thus providing habitat to an equally diverse variety of both plants and animals.