Arkansas Wood Basket By the Numbers

• 19 million total acres of forestland covering 56% of the state
• 80% of forestland is privately owned
• Forestry contributes 5.1 percent of the state's economy
• Arkansas is the third most timber-dependent economy in the nation with a cash farm receipts value of $405M.
• Arkansas is the 9^th leading producer in the U.S. (2018)
• Forest companies own 12% of the 80.44% of private timberland ownership.

timber-ready workforce

• 12.7% of the state's workforce is employed in manufacturing
  
• 3rd highest percentage of manufacturing employment in the south and 7th highest in the nation
• Arkansas ranked 8th lowest in union membership at 4.9%. (BLS January 2023)
• 27,749 skilled workers employed in timber and related industries

History of Growth & Sustainability

• #4 in the South for the number of seedlings grown
• #1 in the South for the number of hardwood seedlings grown
• Abundant and sustainable water resources
• Average growth rate of 1.8 hardwood trees grown for each tree harvested
• Average growth rate of 1.5 pine trees grown for each tree harvested
• Average annual loss to wildfires from 2008-2017 was 22,740 acres, or roughly 0.1% of the state’s total forestland acreage

EDUCATION

• The University of Arkansas at Monticello's College of Forestry, Agricultural, and Natural Resources owns 1,400 acres of forestland used for instruction
• The UAM Forestry Research Center is an interdisciplinary collaboration of the UA Division of Agriculture and the Monticello campus. Recent projects were related to biomass, habitat restoration, and bird migration.
• Universities in Arkansas offer agribusiness and science degrees

Download the Timber Executive Overview

Timber & Forest Products Companies in Arkansas

"Agriculture is Arkansas’s leading industry with timber making up a third of the overall income. The state has a strong stewardship program in place to protect timber as a renewable resource."

Hardy Wentzel

CEO, Structurlam

"The acquisition of the U.S. sawmills is the right move, at the right time; it will give us immediate scale in an attractive region, with quality assets in a rich fiber basket, close to growing end-markets."

Yves Laflamme

CEO, Resolute Forest Products

“In Arkansas, we are growing more timber than we have markets for, and we have a saying: ‘A working forest is a healthy forest.’”

Ray Dillon

Former CEO, Deltic Timber