Introduction
To view in pdf
format click here.
Forward by: Teddy
Reynolds, BSF, RF, SR - President of Reynolds Forestry Consulting -
RFC, Inc.
An invaluable all in
one website for Southwest Arkansas landowners and professionals has
been created for your personal, and our states collective economic
benefit. This site has extended applications for the entire state of
Arkansas, and all 13 southern pine-belt states extending from East
Texas to the Carolinas.
This site was initiated
through the efforts of Senator Blanche Lincoln, and involves:
- Economic Development
Administration (EDA)
- Southwest Arkansas
Planning and Development District (SWAPDD)
- Economic Development
at University of Arkansas in Little Rock (UALR)
- Reynolds Forestry
Consulting - RFC, Inc (RFC)
The site's unofficial
launch date was November 2003. Ongoing site corrections are underway
and expected to continue for several months. Upon update completion,
all excel based documents will dually be available for viewing in
"excel" and "pdf" format.
Its purpose: to assist
in the continued economic enhancement of our Arkansas timber
industry through communication, understanding, net-working,
attracting, challenging and stimulating landowners and professionals
alike.
We must acknowledge our
predecessors and current producers for Arkansas' present 4th ranking
in national production of timber, which is her number one cash crop.
The US collectively supplies the world with 15% of its annual lumber
consumption. The southern pine belt is the world's largest sustained
supplier of timber. Yet, if we stopped accepting imports, and relied
solely on US production for all domestic lumber consumption, we
would exhaust all collective US timber reserves.
There are 200 Million
acres of timberland in the southeast 13 states. Over the next 40
years the nation is expected to loose 30 million acres to urban
expansion, mostly along the coast line, giving an added incentive to
enhance the production of timber in inland pine-belt states such as
Arkansas.
We have approximately
33 million acres in Arkansas with over 18 million acres in
timberland. The timber industry in South Arkansas is the number one
employer. Industrial pine mills are our windows to the world for our
sustained timber products. Each year we carefully and voluntarily
through Sustained Forestry Initiatives (SFI) and Best Management
Practices (BMP) harvest only our pine growth providing us the
distinctive privilege of being sustained. Our 13 southeastern sister
states also share in our honor, which collectively ranks us as the
words largest sustained contiguous block of land. Poor stewardship
is not an option.
The average pine
plantation for non-industrial landowners in Arkansas annually
produces below 4 tons per acre per year. Industry landowners
increased their efficiency to over 7 tons per acre per year in
response to world demand and growing needs. Every man, woman, and
child regardless of origin, color, race, position, and creed deserve
the same affordable opportunities that we experience; and that can
only be accomplished through increased supply to meet growing
domestic and world demands.
The average
non-industrial landowner rotates a stand of timber every 40 to 50
years, while industrial landowners rotate crops every 25 - 35 years.
The precedence has been set.
If we intend for
Arkansas to continue competing nationally and internationally, we
must collectively grow more for less. Import tariffs are only a
temporary solution for the inevitable.
Cost to production is
the long term answer. The irony, even though expenses increase with
higher yields, cost to production decreases based on shorter
rotations; thereby yielding higher returns. This also permits
competitive stumpage prices, in turn which enables competitive
lumber prices, which in turn ensures increased domestic and world
market participation.
Again, by growing more,
we can sale for less while increasing our return and competitiveness
in the world market; while simultaneously enhancing our Arkansas
economy, and we can do it, while tending the forest we love.
That is an example of
the information in this website, which is the purpose of
"arkansastimber.info". This site opens the curtain into Arkansas
forest investment and management. A content summary is as follows:
- Reference and Query
Resources
- Arkansas Forest
Assessment
- Best Management
Practices
- Landowner
Questionnaire Results
Directories
- Forestry Contract
Services Providers
- Forestry
Organizations and Agencies
- Forestry Periodicals
and Radio
- Forestry Subsidized
Programs
- Mills and Procurers
Interactive
Programs
Instructional
Information
- Control Burning
- Fertilization
- Financial Analysis
and Returns
- Herbicide
Applications
- Inventory Methods
- Legal Documents and
Contracts
- Mapping
- Plantation Purchase
Values
- Real Estate
Appraisals
- Seedling Planting
and Care
- Selling Timber
Methods
- Site Preparation
Techniques
- Thinning and Harvest
- Timber Management
Methods
- Timber Management
Plan
- Weight/Volume Tables
This site also has
multiple sideline benefit for foresters considering retirement and
landowners eager to increase their personal involvement; you now
have an in-depth step-by-step consulting forestry management guide.
The more consultants, corporate foresters and actively involved
landowners, the greater ratio of professionals to managed acres, the
consequential better management, the higher the yields, greater the
returns; while simultaneously solidifying our continued
competitiveness in the world market.
If you are seeking to
generally learn more, the following progression through the
directory is suggested:
- Introduction
- Timber Management
Methods
- Financial Analysis
and Returns
- Plantation Purchase
Comparisons
- Inventory Methods
- Selling Timber
Methods
- Weight and Volumes
- Real Estate
Appraisals
- Legal Documents
- Mapping
- Site Preparation
Techniques
- Seedling Planting
and Care
- Forestry Subsidized
Programs
- Herbicide
Applications
- Fertilization
- Control Burning
- Thinning and Harvest
- Timber Management
Plan
- Best Management
Practices
- Mills and Procurers
- Forestry Periodicals
and Radio
- Forestry
Organizations
- Forestry Contract
Service Providers
- Arkansas Forest
Assessment
- Cruise Calculator
If you are solely
interested in thinning, harvesting, selling, bidding, or marketing
timber, the following progression through the directory is
suggested:
- Selling Timber
Methods
- Inventory Methods
- Weight and Volumes
- Legal Documents
- Mapping
- Mills and Procurers
- Forestry Contract
Service Providers
- Thinning and Harvest
- Cruise Calculator
- Best Management
Practices
If you are solely
interested in timber financial analysis, the following progression
through the directory is suggested:
- Financial Analysis
and Returns
- Plantation Purchase
Comparisons
- Timber Management
Methods
- Inventory Methods
- Weight and Volumes
- Introduction
If you are solely interested in timber management and forestry
techniques (silviculture), the following progression through the
directory is suggested:
- Introduction
- Timber Management
Methods
- Site Preparation
Techniques
- Seedling Planting
and Care
- Herbicide
Applications
- Fertilization
- Control Burning
- Thinning and
Harvest
- Timber Management
Plan
- Best Management
Practices
- Financial Analysis
and Returns
- Inventory Methods
- Weight and Volumes
- Legal Documents
(refer to consulting contract)
- Forestry Contract
Service Providers
- Forestry
Periodicals and Radio
We all benefit from
your invaluable proofing, absorption and gainful application of
this site. If you have any recommendations or questions, please
let us know by emailing the sites information administrator at teddy@reynoldsforestry.com.
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