LEXINGTON, Ky. — The University of Kentucky has released a mobile application designed to help woodland owners assess their forests and develop management plans for white oak regeneration, addressing a critical conservation challenge affecting Kentucky's economy and ecosystem.

The My White Oak app, developed through a partnership between UK's Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, the White Oak Initiative and the Kentucky Division of Forestry, guides landowners through a straightforward woodland assessment and generates property-specific reports focused on white oak sustainability.

"The question many landowners face now isn't whether white oak matters; it's how to keep it in the forest," said Jacob Muller, forestry and natural resources assistant professor at UK and author of the project overview. "My White Oak was built to help people look at what's already on their property, recognize barriers early and start planning for the future with research-backed information."

White oak is integral to Kentucky's forests and economy. The species supports wildlife through acorn production, stabilizes soils and provides wood for furniture, flooring and bourbon barrels — a particularly significant economic driver, as Kentucky's bourbon industry depends on white oak staves for aging spirits. However, regeneration has become a persistent challenge, with many forests containing mostly mature trees and limited young growth.

The app addresses barriers to white oak survival by helping landowners identify conditions such as limited regeneration, dense understories and competition from shade-tolerant species like maple and beech. Research across the Central Hardwood region has shown that many mature oak stands have insufficient understory light to support young white oak growth.

The assessment process asks landowners guided questions about stand characteristics and site conditions, then generates a customized report. The report helps landowners understand their forest's white oak potential, introduces management practices in nontechnical language and emphasizes working with professional foresters to implement long-term strategies.

Muller noted the app is not designed to make landowners into forestry experts. "My White Oak doesn't ask landowners to become silviculture experts," he said. "It breaks the process into a practical first step and then points to what those results may mean, so the next conversation with a forester starts on the same page."

Project partners view the app as a communication tool that can help align landowner and forester expectations early in the planning process — important given that white oak management often spans decades. Kentucky is not alone in grappling with white oak sustainability; similar challenges affect forests across the eastern United States, where an estimated 75 percent of white oaks are mature with limited regeneration occurring behind them.