Kentucky
Kentucky lawmakers lead effort to protect white oak trees
WASHINGTON — Before it makes it to your glass, bourbon is aged in barrels made of charred new oak, helping give Kentucky’s signature spirit its flavor and color.
White oak trees grow in Kentucky and surrounding states, but environmental advocates said action is needed to protect them.
“Forest inventory analysis data from the Forest Service shows that while there are a lot of mature white oak trees out there across the eastern United States, there are not very many seedlings growing, and that’s primarily because sunlight’s not reaching the forest floor,” said Jason Meyer, executive director of the White Oak Initiative. “We’re not managing forests like we used to.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., have introduced bipartisan legislation, the White Oak Resilience Act of 2024.
It directs research, calls for pilot projects focused on the white oak and would allow for private funding of restoration efforts.
Many species of wildlife depend on the trees and the decline of the mature white oak could happen in the next 20-30 years, Meyer said.
“While we have white oak-dominated ecosystems right now, in the future, those ecosystems are going to disappear if we don’t do something about it,” he said.
Rep. Andy Barr, R-Lexington, Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Louisville, and Rep. James Comer, R-Tompkinsville, co-sponsored companion legislation, which recently passed the House as an amendment to a separate bill.
Kentucky
Kentucky Colonels executive to speak at Florence Rotary Club on Monday, public welcome to register
Ohio tornado warnings: what residents should know
Severe storms June 17 in Ohio: know tornado watch vs. warning, safety steps, shelters and alerts.
A tornado was confirmed to have ripped through the Florence area during the overnight storms June 18.
The National Weather Service in Wilmington released a statement June 20 saying a tornado traveled eastward 6.2 miles across the Northern Kentucky city, 10 miles south of Cincinnati. It had estimated peak winds of 100 mph, which classifies it as an EF1 “moderate” tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
The tornado’s path goes mostly through residential areas, and the first evidence was found on Landings Way where several trees were snapped at their trunks, the weather service reported.
The tornado progressed east, crossing Interstate 71/75 and then seemingly dissipating on Tallwood Circle where multiple large branches were downed, the final known instance of damage.
Along the way, the tornado uprooted multiple trees and snapped branches, damaged several buildings and businesses, and snapped a large power pole near the intersection of U.S. 42 and Dream Street, according to the weather service.
How many tornadoes have been confirmed in Greater Cincinnati, beyond?
As of 1 p.m. June 20, the weather service has confirmed that apart from the one in Florence, two other tornadoes touched down in Greater Cincinnati on June 18:
- An EF2 “significant” tornado that traveled about 9 miles from Dearborn County, Indiana, to Boone County, Kentucky.
- An EF2 “significant” tornado that traveled just over 5 miles from Franklin County, Indiana, to Butler County, Ohio.
A few other tornadoes have been confirmed outside the Greater Cincinnati region, including an EF2 that traveled 23.6 miles from Scott County, Indiana, to Trimble County, Kentucky; an EF2 that traveled 9 miles across Pike County, Ohio; and one in Grant County, Kentucky, just north of Williamstown.
The weather service said details on the Grant County tornado will be released later on June 20.
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