Ancient, Big, and Historical
Trees of Arkansas,
Past and Present
Arkansas, as with much of eastern North America,
was once covered by extensive virgin forests with many big, old
trees. Logging, land clearing, wildfire, and urbanization,
amongst other
causes, have long since eliminated most of these big trees. However, a
handful can still be found in the woods of Arkansas, and many others "live" on
in historical photographs, explorer and survey accounts, and scientific
publications. This web page is dedicated to preserving and presenting
these images and other reports. Other institutions specifically dedicated
to big trees include
American Forests
and the Eastern Native Tree
Society, and the state of Arkansas also hosts a
champion tree
list and a program on famous
and historic trees.
The
Morris Pine, a 300 year old loblolly pine in
the Levi Wilcoxon Demonstration Forest in
Ashley County, Arkansas.
Photo
by Don C. Bragg.
Historical photographs constitute a
valuable record of the nature of Arkansas forests from a time in which we have
only poor or incomplete scientific records. Some of these pictures depict
logging scenes, while others are incidental glimpses of the historical
vegetation captured while recording early views of the life and times of
Arkansans.
 |
Loggers cutting a
large pine near
Crossett, Arkansas
in the early
1900s.
Cover photo from 1952
edition of Forest Echoes.
Photographer unknown. |
|
A
persimmon from Luxora, Arkansas
reported to be 108 inches in circumference and
120 feet tall by a 1915 Arkansas
promotional brochure.
Photographer unknown.
|
 |
We know surprisingly little about the
potential maximum dimensions of most tree species. Unfortunately, it is
likely that the largest individuals of any given species have long since been
lost to time. General Land Office surveyor records, explorer accounts, and
early technical publications and scientific journals are some of the better
sources of information, but few of these records were formally and accurately
measured, and may reflect exaggerations or errors (Bragg
2004).
Not every notable tree or forest in
Arkansas and other parts of the Midsouth was a giant. In parts of
Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, and extreme western Arkansas, the "Cross Timbers"
woodlands dominated by post and blackjack oak may represent one of the largest,
most intact remnants of primary forest in eastern North America. In some cases, ancient post oaks and eastern
redcedars from these woodlands are found to be in excess of 400 years old.
Efforts to conserve some of these areas are underway, supported by groups like
the Ancient Cross Timbers Consortium
and agencies like the Army Corps of Engineers and the Forest Service.
Photo
by Don C. Bragg.
Old-growth Cross Timbers remnants near Fort Smith, Arkansas (above) and the
Keystone Ancient Forest Preserve near Tulsa, Oklahoma (below, photo by Don C.
Bragg).
I will continue to post images of large
Arkansas (and Midsouth) trees as they become available. People interested
in sending me historical pictures of vegetation conditions (big trees or not)
can do so by contacting me at dbragg@fs.fed.us
or sending them to:
Dr.
Don Bragg
USDA
Forest Service
Southern Research Station
P.O.
Box 3516 UAM
Monticello, AR 71656
