daniel boone national forest

Daniel Boone National Forest is the only national forest completely within the boundary of Kentucky. Established in 1937, it was originally named the Cumberland National Forest, after the core region called the Cumberland Purchase Unit. About 2,100,000 acres (8,500 km2) are contained within its current proclamation boundary, of which 706,000 acres (2,860 km2) are owned and managed by the United States Department of Agriculture (as of April 2006), up from around 620,000 acres (2,500 km2) in the early to mid-1990s. The forest was named after Daniel Boone, a frontiersman and explorer in the late 18th century who contributed greatly to the exploration and settlement of Kentucky.