A Change from Grassland to Forest Vegetation in the "Big Barrens" of Kentucky

1. The pioneers found vast regions of grassland in some parts of Kentucky. 2. The early settlers gave the name "Barrens" to the region, because they thought that the absence of trees signified that the land was low in productivity. 3. The "Big Barrens" formed a narrow crescent that corresponded to that part of Kentucky having karst lands, covering an area between 5,000 and 6,000 square miles. 4. It seems that the treeless condition was brought about by a severe drought, followed by the invasion of species of prairie plants, and that thereafter the grasses remained, due to the combined influence of the unusual conditions in the earth's crust, extremes in some factors of climate, and to frequent fires. 5. After the region was settled by the whites a young forest growth sprang up all over that part which shortly before had been covered with prairie vegetation.