Effects of Stock Type and Planter Experience on the Time Required to Plant Loblolly Pine Seddlings

Inexperienced workers planted container-grown and bare-root seedlings of loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) on a rocky, upland site near Batesville, AR in a comparison of planting speed and survivability. Planting speed depended on the type of seedling planted and the amount of planting experience. Significantly less time was required to plant an acre with container-grown than bare-root seedlings. Experience increased the consistency and speed of planting for both seedling types

Assessment of Timber Resource Values in Arkansas

The Arkansas forest lands have long been and will continue to be an important contributor to the state\u27s economy. Today, Arkansas forests cover 52 percent of the land area (Hines and Vissage, 1988). These forests are classified by physiographic characteristics into four timber regions. The timber removed from forested lands provides direct and indirect employment for approximately 40,000 people within the Arkansas manufacturing sector (Kluender and Willett, 1989). This paper describes county and region level information, identifies standing timber volumes, net annual timber growth, net annual timber removals, and associated dollar values. Timber stand data are used to determine areas suitable for new facilities or expanding existing wood-based manufacturing facilities. This study also identifies opportunities within each region for wood-based manufacturing growth

Effect of Product Price, Interest Rates and Forestry Incentives on Financial Returns from Arkansas\u27 Nonindustrial Private Forests

As the U.S. population increases, demand for Arkansas\u27 forest production will continue to increase. Nonindustrial private forests (NIPF) will be increasingly relied upon to meet future demand. Restocking following harvest and good forest management techniques have not always been practiced on NIPF lands. Federal cost sharing programs exist which encourage investment in forestry; federal programs may pay up to half of establishment and management costs. Special federal capital gains treatment and other tax incentives also exist for nonindustrial landowners; however, nonindustrial use of incentives is not great. Models were developed to determine whether actual stumpage prices and existing economic incentives were sufficient to cover the investment cost of establishment and owning and holding the stand. Using site indexes of 70 and 80 (base 50) for loblolly pine plantations, stand value and opportunity costs were compared annually over the life of a 40 year rotation. Long-term U.S. Treasury Bond rates and a flat 6% rate of return were used to estimate opportunity costs on an after tax basis. Investment costs were estimated with and without using existing economic incentives. Results show that if front-end costs of establishment are low, stand value is virtually certain to be greater than opportunity costs. This was true even on low site index tracts with high opportunity costs. Without incentives, investment success is subject to stumpage price fluctuations especially when high opportunity costs are in place. Policy recommendations include increasing present efforts to inform NIPF landowners of incentive opportunities to encourage development of private forest resources. If private landowners have the proper information, they are more likely to improve their personal situation and enhance forest productivity

Relationship Between Diameter Breast High and Diameter Near Ground Line for Hardwood Species in Arkansas

The relationship of diameter breast high (DBH) and diameter near ground line (DNG) was investigated for three groups of Arkansas hardwoods from four physiographic regions in the state. The relationship between DBH and DNG did not vary significantly across species groups or physiographic regions. Equations of both linear and non-linear form were developed to estimate DBH from DNG. The relationships between DBH and DNG is used to estimate timber volume, growth, and value from residual stumps. The relationship is also useful in harvesting system design and cost estimation in operational forestry

Arkansas\u27 Timber Resource: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Demand for forest products continues to rise. Arkansas provides about 4% of the U.S. total forest production and about 12% of the south central region production. Questions exist about the ability of current forest resources to completely meet anticipated future demand. In 1985, the U.S. Forest Service and the Arkansas Timber Study Committee began to analyze the existing forest base to determine whether future demand could be met from the current forest, or if not, what management changes were needed to help meet future demand. In 1985, Arkansas forests covered approximately 48% of the total land area of the state. However, the forest land base has changed drastically over the last 20 years. Projections show that changes in forest acreage, ownership, and management types will continue for the next 40 years. Greatest changes in land ownership will occur in the nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) landowner sector. Forest industry lands will show the greatest changes in timber type. Public forest ownerships will continue to be a significant part of the state\u27s total resource base, but will not undergo the significant changes of other sectors. This paper discusses these trends and the reasons for changes that are occurring

Method to Predict the Potential Regional Long-Term Timber Supply Using GIS and Other Publicly Available Data

While the global demand for wood products is on the rise, timber production has shifted from the Pacific Northwest to the southeastern United States in recent times. The increase in harvesting makes accurate assessment of the South\u27s wood supply essential. Anew method is proposed for looking at the potential supply of raw woody material. The test area was three southeastern Arkansas counties. A geographic information system (GIS) using ArcView software incorporates two sources of public information. First, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data from the USDA Forest Service were queried to find land areas and volumes by timber type, as well as growth and removals. Second, Gap Analysis Program (GAP) data were included to delineate land cover patterns. FIA growth rates were applied to the corresponding timber types. Additionally, vector layers such as roads, streams, and power lines were buffered, and those areas were then subtracted from forested land cover types. The losses to buffered areas were approximately 7 percent. The FIA data were manipulated to determine a cubic meter growth rate per year. The study revealed that the study area is capable of supplying 2,034.7 thousand cubic meters of wood per year, while the FIA data for the same area showed 2,150.9 thousand cubic meters. With both the FIA and GAP data being updated every 5-10 years, values can easily be updated to reflect changes

Landowner Reports of Deer Hunter Damage in Arkansas

Damage to property from deer hunters, though usually not discovered immediately, is a problem for many Arkansans. A questionnaire survey was mailed to 3,773 rural landowners in Arkansas to determine the type and cost of damage suffered from hunters. Thirty-five percent reported minor problems, and 15% reported severe damage from hunters. The most common problems caused by hunters were fence cutting (33%), severe littering (16%), road damage (13%), crop damage (10%), cattle shot (8%), gates left open (6%), and trespassing (6%). Eighty-three (5%) of the landowners reported damage costs of $500 or more; one sustained a$15,000 loss. Total state-wide losses are estimated at almost $15 million per year. Solutions lie in cultivating a stewardship position among landowners and a stronger ethic of respect among hunters. Mandatory hunter education programs can help instill hunter ethics, while posting laws can provide the administrative mechanism to control access and exposure

Long-Term White-Tailed Deer Harvest Trends for the Southcentral United States

White-tailed deer herd size across the southcentral states continues to increase. Concurrent with this increase has come a total harvest level increase for most states. Southcentral states have increased bag limits on antlerless deer to insure that herd health is maintained as herd sizes approach total carrying capacity. Harvest growth rates, however, show irregularities from year to year. The cyclic pattern of harvest (and population) growth rate is of shorter duration than would be expected in a large ungulate population. An exogenous influence is suspected. Cyclic patterns in harvest growth rates move opposite the growth rate of epizootic hemorrhagic disease incidence in southcentral counties. Initial results suggest causality between disease incidence and harvest growth rate. As herds approach carrying capacity on many southern sites, management challenges increase

Analysis of Wildfire Occurrence in Southeastern Arkansas, 1984-1987

Wildfire statistics for Arkansas Forestry Commission District I in southeastern Arkansas were analyzed for the period 1 984 through 1987. A mean of 313 fires and 1103 hectares burned annually during the study period. Most (87%) of the land burned was forested. The greatest number (90%) of wildfires occurred when fire-danger was moderate to high. Most fires were started (90%) and detected (51%) by local residents. Arson was responsible for the majority of fires (68%) and hectares burned (65%). A disproportionately high number (43%) of the incendiary fires occurred in Ashley County. Mean fire size was smaller in this county. Fire suppression professionals attribute this to increased surveillance and suppression efforts in this county as compared with other counties. Many more fires occurred in 1987 than in other years. On forest-industry land more fires occurred in1987 than in previous years (65% vs. 42%). Also, for all lands, more fires were of incendiary origin in 1987 than in previous years (78% vs. 60%). The authors provide evidence that the change in fire pattern in 1987 was due in part to a drastic change in administration of hunting privileges by a major forest industry in the area