FORESTRY SECTION 

ARKANSAS FORESTRY FACTS

There are 18.4 million acres of productive timberland in Arkansas, which cover 55 percent of the State's area.

About 10.6 million acres, or 58 percent of the timberland, is owned by private individuals. Only 25 percent of the State's forestland is owned by forest industries and 17 percent is owned by federal, state, and local governments.

There are four distinct forest regions in Arkansas, the Ozark Mountains, the Ouachita
Mountains, the Coastal Plain and the Delta.

Hardwoods, mainly oaks, make up 55 percent of Arkansas' forests. Pines make up 28 percent,and the remaining 17 percent is a mixture of pines and hardwoods.

Timber is one of Arkansas' top cash crops with a harvest value of $976 million in 1997.

The Forest Products Industry, Arkansas's largest manufacturing industry, added more than $4
billion to the State's economy in 1995.

The Forest Products Industry is Arkansas' leading industry in terms of capital investment.

More than 47,000 people are directly employed by Arkansas' forestry community.

The inventory of standing timber in Arkansas is worth almost $17 billion.

Arkansas is the second leading lumber producing state in the South, and fourth leading in the
nation.

Many landowners harvest their timber with no plan for reforestation after harvest. When this
happens, the valuable tree species are usually replaced by low-value species.

Millions of acres of Arkansas' forestland are producing less than one-half their potential wood
growth because of lack of management.

Managed forestland is a good investment that can return 10 to 15 percent or more.

The key to forest management is a written forest management plan prepared by a professional
forester.

Arkansas' forests provide many benefits in addition to timber, including: wildlife habitat, soil and watershed protection, biological diversity, natural beauty, recreational opportunities and forage for livestock.