By Ryan McGeeney, UA Division of Agriculture
MONTICELLO, Ark. — The drought that has affected Arkansas and surrounding states for more than a year has had an impact on every sector of the region’s agriculture, including timber stands throughout the South.
According to the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, Arkansas is home to more than 18 million acres of forestland, containing more than 11 billion trees and covering about 55 percent of the state. Of that, about a third of the acreage is pine and about 55 percent is hardwood forests, featuring native species such as oak, hickory, maple and others. According to research from the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, Arkansas produced more than 21 million tons of commercial timber in 2024, contributing more than $365 million to the state’s economy.
Jaret Rushing, extension forestry educator for the Division of Agriculture, said the dry conditions of 2025 allowed loggers to access hardwood bottomlands typically out of reach to the logging industry.
“On the commercial side, the weather dictates how and when timber is harvested,” Rushing said. “Because we had hardly any rain at all last year, loggers had the ability to log very wet and flood-sensitive areas all year long, which brought a surplus of timber to the mills.”
Rushing said that as supply began to outstrip demand, mills placed quota limits on commercial loggers and reduced prices on offer.
“In southern Arkansas, we are in the West Gulf Coastal Plain, so we have several different perennial stream tributaries that, from October until February or even March, are so deep in water that they keep loggers out of the ‘bottoms,’ which is primarily hardwood bottomland,” he said. “This year, they have had no restrictions. They can get in just about anywhere they want.”
High Heat, Deep Drought
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the vast majority of Arkansas is currently in moderate to severe drought, with areas in the northeast, ce…