In the News - February 2008
Forestry is economic powerhouse in rural Arkansas
LITTLE ROCK - When you talk about Arkansas agriculture, most people
immediately think of rice, soybeans, cotton, wheat or whatever they see growing
in the fields. But they don’t see the forests for the trees.
Arkansas has 18 million acres of forests, about 56 percent of the total land
base.
Farmers, ranchers, and other individuals own most of the forest land in the
state, and many actively manage their forest lands.
Arkansas ranks fourth in the nation in timber production, according to a 2005
University of Arkansas report.
The forest products industry, including the pulp and paper industry, is the
state's largest manufacturer and directly employed 37,291 employees with a
payroll of $1.51 billion, according to the 2005 report. A total of $2.63 billion
was contributed in value-added dollars.
“Arkansas forests provide habitat for a vast multitude of plants and
wildlife,” said Dr. Tamara Walkingstick, an extension forester with the
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
“Our forests also provide a diversity of products and other important
benefits including wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, watershed
protection and aesthetic values,” she said.
Walkingstick said private landowners have “an incredibly diverse set of
objectives in mind for using their land.” She said some are solely interested in
income from their land, and some people value their land just for varied
aesthetic or recreational reasons, including wildlife watching, hunting, trail
riding and hiking.
Walkingstick, who owns 30 acres of forestland, enjoys the wildlife and
natural beauty on the land, “but I expect someday to market some of the trees
and reap financial benefits while balancing that with my aesthetic needs and
environmental concerns.”
But private landowners don’t always know how to reach their objectives. Some
have inherited land and know nothing about taxes, how to market their trees,
avoiding bad financial deals or how to manage their timber for the future.
Walkingstick said the extension service can provide that information to help
landowners reach their goals.
“We can help them improve wildlife habitat, or if they’re interested in
selling timber, we can provide information about the best way to go about it,”
she said. “We teach best management practices, how to manage a forest for a
healthy stand, the importance of forest management plans, and we provide
education on estate planning and timber taxation.” For people interested in the
latest timber prices, go to the online Arkansas Timber Report at:
www.arnatural.org/News/Timber_Report/default.htm.
Bobby Hall, Dallas County extension staff chair, said Dallas, Bradley,
Calhoun and Cleveland counties are cooperating to provide a stronger, more
focused educational effort for landowners in the four counties.
“We want people to know that extension is a reliable source of unbiased
information on the topics they’re interested in,” he said. “From literature to
on-the-ground assistance, we can help them manage their forests with such
concerns as site selection, site issues, pests, species selection and wildlife
management.”
He said extension is providing up-to-date information about the carbon offset
program, a value-added income to forestry.
“We’re also providing GPS training to help landowners better keep up with
tracts of land they own,” Hall noted. “With GPS, they can give the coordinates
of the tracts to timber cutters, or they can mark insect infestations and zero
in on treatments.”
One of extension’s tools to help landowners is a farm market newsletter,
which provides marketing information.
For more information about forestland, contact your county extension agent or
visit www.uaex.edu and select Agriculture, then Forestry.
Extension is an arm of the Arkansas Forest Resources Center at Monticello. Both
are part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.
February 29, 2008
Media Contact: Lamar James
Extension Communications Specialists
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2187 or (501) 753-0207
ljames@uaex.edu
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