 So as extension educators continued through Eastern Kentucky and the Daniel Boone National Forest, they saw many hardwood and conifer species such as the tulip poplar, Virginia pine, and American holly. The most surprising species found was Eastern hemlock. They didn't just see a few individual hemlock trees. They encountered an entire grove of mature hemlocks with plenty of seedlings and saplings in the understory. In Minnesota, Eastern hemlock is endangered and one of the state's rarest trees.