Arkansas forests are a singular source of revenue and innovation.
Alarm bells began to go off among forestry officials in Arkansas during the summer of 2023. That’s when brown spot needle blight, a deadly fungal disease, was confirmed in certain loblolly pines, having crossed into Arkansas from forests in Alabama and other Gulf states. Loblolly pine — a valued source of lumber, plywood, paper and pulp products — is Arkansas’ most economically significant tree species, accounting for a substantial portion of the state’s prolific, $6 billion-a-year forestry industry.
What’s remarkable about the story is the speed and focus with which Arkansas reacted to the threat — across forestry, academic and political camps. Within months, the state had committed $16.8 million to stand up the Arkansas Forest Health Research Center, which broke ground recently at the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM).
“It’s been a whirlwind of a process all this year, and it wouldn’t have been possible but for the high level of support within our state legislature and our governor’s office,” says Dr. Michael Blazier, director of the Arkansas Forest Resources Center and dean of UAM’s College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources. Arkansas is nearly 57% forested and the eighth largest timber producer in the United States, fourth in solid pine products.
“There’s a recognition,” Blazier believes, “that forestry is a major contributor to the state’s economy and our quality of life.” The response, he says — also among landowners — “is a really good testament to how well we tend to work in partnerships in Arkansas, understanding that we work best when we work together.”
Huge Returns on Investment
When it opens in 2026, says Blazier, the 18,000-square foot Forest Health Research Center “will have one of the best research labs of its kind in the Southeast,” enabling it to monitor and mitigate threats that continue to emerge from changing weather patterns such as the increasingly wet springs and hot summers that have helped promote the spread of brown spot needle blight. The Center is expected to deliver an annual economic benefit of $157 million, a “conservative estimate,” says Blazier, by protecting against the loss of trees and forest products, adding surety to Arkansas’ timber-based exports and attracting new students whose degrees will command high salaries.
“There’s just a lot of downstream benefits,” he says.
On the research side, the Center will leverage a high-resolution imaging tool pioneered by UAM’s Hamdi Zurqani, an assistant professor in the Forestry College. Developed through the use of machine learning tools applied to Google Earth software, Zuqani’s forest canopy dataset delivers a profile of every inch of Arkansas forestland at 1-meter spatial resolution.
“It can screen the tree canopy and look for the most minor nuances in unhealthy trees,” says Blazier, “and point researchers to precise locations that need to be checked out.” The preliminary results, he says, “are very encouraging. We’ll be looking at diseases, insects and genetics. All three come into play when determining what the health threats are and how to mitigate them.”
A Place to Innovate
Cross-laminated panels manufactured by Mercer Mass Timber in Conway comprise much of the 62,000 cubic feet of wood products going into the Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. The hotly anticipated project, already the recipient of numerous design awards, hit a milestone in September of 2024 when onlookers gathered for the facility’s “topping out.”
The 44,763 square foot Anthony Timberlands Center is part of U of A’s Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. The school has fostered the development of Arkansas’ forest economy, with a focus on mass timber construction. Mass timber is created from a range of wood products and adhesives that make it stronger and more durable than traditional lumber. It is increasingly seen as a favorable alternative to steel and concrete construction.
“Arkansas,” said Peter MacKeith, dean of the Fay Jones School, “is uniquely positioned to respond to the local, national and global trend toward the use of wood in construction and other industries.”
Scheduled to open in the spring of 2025, the Anthony Timberlands Center is conceived as an applied research and teaching facility based on Arkansas timber and wood products. The award-winning design by Grafton Architects of Ireland — in partnership with the Modus Studio in Fayetteville — is itself a demonstration of the potential of advanced timber and wood. Supplier Mercer Mass Timber is a growing leader in the space.
A primary thrust of the Center will be to develop affordable housing prototypes designed and constructed from engineered wood sourced from Arkansas. Implemented at scale, mass timber offers the potential to deliver attainable and sustainable housing.
“The Anthony Timberlands Center,” said U of A Chancellor Charles Robinson, “represents the University of Arkansas’ ongoing commitment to research and innovation that directly serves the people of our state. As a land-grant institution, we invest in projects like this to drive economic growth, address critical issues such as affordable housing and sustainability, and prepare our students to lead in industries that are vital to the continued prosperity of our state and nation.”
Rendering of the Arkansas Forest Health Research Center
Image courtesy of UAM
