A certain amount of sacrifice may be necessary, but there should also be places left to nature’s processes, if only so we may witness how nature works; if only so we may enjoy the beauty and the wonder of such places. It is these left-alone places that are refuges for birds, and butterflies, and animals of all kinds. We humans depend on them to clean our air and water and protect our climate.
- Joan Maloof
Pearman Forest Delegated as an Old-Growth Forest
In February 2025, The Pearman Forest at the LaRue County Environmental Education and Research Center was inducted into the national Old-Growth Forest Network. Robert G. Pearman purchased the first of several tracts of land in 1921 that would become the Pearman Farm. In the fall of 2000, the LaRue County Fiscal Court acquired the land through funding of the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund. It became the LaRue County Environmental Education and Research Center and the vision of preservation began. The Pearman Forest is an approximately 80 acre mature growth stand located in the heart of the 217 acre preserve. The forest inhabits over 25 different species of native trees and serves as a refuge for a variety of plant and animal species.
Currently, less than 1% of the eastern US forests, and less than 5% of the western US forests contain old-growth characteristics. Many species of plants, animals, and fungi depend on older forests for their well-being. Old-growth forests help clean our air, clean our water, and provide ecotourism opportunities for nearby communities.
On behalf of the City of Hodgenville and the LaRue County Fiscal Court, we at Knob Creek Conservancy were beyond excited to work with the Old-Growth Forest Network to bring recognition to the Pearman Forest as an Old-Growth Forest. May it forever be a part of LaRue County in its current form.
