Arkansas Wood Basket By the Numbers

• 19 million total acres of forestland covering 56.6% of the state
• 73% of forestland is privately owned
• Forestry contributes 4.1 percent of the state's economy
• Arkansas is the second most timber-dependent economy in the nation with a cash farm receipts value of $409M.
• Forest companies own 14% of the 73% of private timberland ownership.

timber-ready workforce

• 11.8% of the state's workforce is employed in manufacturing
  
• 4th highest percentage of manufacturing employment in the south and 9th highest in the nation (BLS, 2023)
• Arkansas ranked 10th lowest in union membership in the US (BLS, 2023)
• 24,532 skilled workers employed in timber and related industries (DWS, 3rd Qtr, 2023)

History of Growth & Sustainability

• #2 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 2.6 hardwood trees grown for each tree harvested
• Average growth rate of 1.6 pine trees grown for each tree harvested
• Average annual loss to wildfires in 2023 was 5,659 acres, or roughly 0.02% of the state’s total forestland acreage

EDUCATION

• The University of Arkansas at Monticello's College of Forestry, Agricultural, and Natural Resources owns 1,650 acres of land 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