Economic impact of Arkansas timber damage from May tornadoes estimated at $89 million
August 9, 2024
By Traci Rushing
Arkansas Center for Forest Business
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast Facts:
- Record numbers of tornadoes cause $89 million in economic loss to the timber industry for 5 North Arkansas counties
- The Arkansas Center for Forest Business is available to provide landowners with valuable information and connections to assist with land management
- The Arkansas Department of Agriculture Forestry Division requests funds from Farm Service Agencies to assist landowners affected
(544 words)
(Newsrooms: Download photos of damage in Northfork area.)
MONTICELLO, Ark. — In May Arkansas saw a record number of tornadoes touch down in our state causing an estimated $89 million in total economic impacts and potential environmental risk associated with the forest damage experienced in five northern counties.
The National Weather Service (NWS) reported a record number of 17 tornadoes recorded across Arkansas on May 26 with one tornado having a path width of nearly 2 miles in Benton County. The Arkansas Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry estimated the tornadoes destroyed $18.4 million worth of timber over 12,400 acres in Benton, Madison, Marion, Baxter and Fulton counties. Given these numbers, the Arkansas Center for Forest Business conducted an analysis of the full economic impact of this timber loss, which totaled $89 million. This estimate includes the cost of hazard reduction, loss in labor due to timber not being harvested, carbon storage loss, and losses of both local and state tax revenues.
To support landowners in this area, the Arkansas Center for Forest Business prepared and reported the economic losses experienced in the five northern counties. Data was shared with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry which led to the Division requesting financial support from Farm Service Agencies to assist landowners in the area.
“The Arkansas Center for Forest Business assists landowners with strategic planning and provides economic values to the Arkansas Agricultural Department Forestry Division and the Arkansas Forestry Association as needed to support in policymakers’ decision-making to coordinate disaster funding,” said Dr. Shaun Tanger, Associate Professor of Forest Policy and Trade at the University of Arkansas at Monticello College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources.
While the economic impact on the surrounding communities is devastating, the environmental impact of not properly caring for the fallen timber could be detrimental to the ecosystem. According to Dr. Matthew Pelkki, Director of the Arkansas Center for Forest Business and Professor at the UAM CFANR, these lands are very susceptible to seeing an infestation of negative pests and fire hazards.
“The potential is that the chemicals released from a dead or recently killed tree are going to attract insects, which in a natural scenario is not necessarily a bad thing. However, in this scenario, there is a potential to draw in populations of insects that are detrimental to our forest,” said Pelkki. “Insects such as bark beetles and red oak borers could thrive in the fallen timber and then start affecting living trees around the area. Then, there is also a fire hazard. We have a lot of dead, down material that will dry out and create a fire hazard.”
The Arkansas Center for Forest Business encourages landowners to be proactive with land management efforts.
“It is important that Arkansas’ forest landowners work with foresters to manage their forests for greater resiliency to insects, diseases, and climate events and one of the tools for that is timber harvesting,” added Pelkki.
Inquiries about financial assistance from Farm Service Agencies for landowners from the affected region can be directed to the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, Division of Forestry. The Arkansas Center for Forest Business is also available to provide landowners with valuable information and connections to assist with land management. More information about the Arkansas Center for Forest Business can be found on their website.
About the Arkansas Center for Forest Business
Established in 2021, the Arkansas Center for Forest Business is part of the University of Arkansas, College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources. The Center provides technical assistance for market-based solutions to forest resource challenges, programs for degree and post-baccalaureate education, and information on timber supply, forest products markets and operational efficiency. The Center for Forest Business will provide market-based economic solutions to forest resource issues, improving business practices for forest enterprises, and enhancing economic competitiveness.
About the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Arkansas Forest Resources Center
The College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, a University of Arkansas System Center of Excellence, brings together interdisciplinary expertise through a partnership between the University of Arkansas at Monticello and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The College and Center are headquartered at the University of Arkansas at Monticello campus, but their programs range statewide with the mission of developing and delivering teaching, research, and extension programs that enhance and ensure the sustainability and productivity of forest-based natural resources and agricultural systems. Academic programs are delivered by the College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources through the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Through the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, research is administered by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, and extension and outreach activities are coordinated by the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
The University of Arkansas at Monticello and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offer all of their programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and are Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employers.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation's historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of twenty entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all seventy-five counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media Contact:
Traci Rushing
trushing@uada.edu
870-460-1852