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Oak Mortality/Glut in Arkansas We've had reports of massive red oak mortality in and around Arkansas's Ozark and Mark Twain National Forests, due to a confluence of stress factors, including the red oak borer, in stands already stressed by the extreme drought. According to the U.S. Forest Service, the Ozark alone has more than a billion board feet of dead and dying oak on about 500,000 acres north of I-40, and there is a similar situation on the Mark Twain in the Salem and Potosi areas. The situation on the Mark Twain is aggravated by two major tornados which blew down about 20 million board feet of oak and pine in April. There are both economic and fuel-reduction reasons to harvest this dead, dying, and wind-thrown timber quickly. The Forest Service has made available the tornado timber on the Mark Twain at "minimal prices," and about 40 million board feet of other timber on the two forests is also for sale. More will be offered in the coming years, but there will be much more available than local mills can accept. According to one assessment from an industry member, "We need to focus on trying to help the Forest Service remove as much of these heavy fuels as possible and restore the stands on better sites to oak. Without a major investment by the Agency, the future stands will be dominated by shade-tolerant species like maple, black gum, etc. with relatively low economic values." Information is available from Ozark Forest Supervisor Charlie Richmond (479/968-2354) and Mark Twain Acting Forest Supervisor Mike Sanders (573/341-7413). Back to "News" Forest Resources Association
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