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Pine/Hardwood Woodland
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Pine-hardwood woodlands are characterized by low, rolling hills with sandy, well-drained soils. Original pine woodlands contained an open, two-layered structure of canopy and diverse groundcover. They were dominated by loblolly pine in the wetter lowlands and short leaf pine on the dry slopes and ridges. The density of trees affects the types of plants that grow since openings in the canopy allow sunlight to penetrate to the forest floor. A partially open canopy, such as the one illustrated in this woodland, allows some sunlight for the growth of shrubs and understory plants. These plants are adapted to acid soils and frequent fires. Pine woodland diversity increases with fire. Without regular burning, the herbaceous ground cover will be crowded out by larger, woody shrubs and oaks will crowd out the pines.
Virtually no Arkansas pine-hardwood woodland has escaped changes in natural fire regime. Much of today's forest is young, dense and dominated by loblolly pine with a substantial hardwood component and little or no ground cover. Many plant species have been lost from these forests because they are fire-dependent. Loblolly pine is the primary species used by the pulpwood and paper industries. More than half of the U.S. pulpwood supplies come from southern pine forests. Throughout the south there is more timberland than cropland and pasture combined. Almost half of that timberland is planted pine stands. Exciting new management practices on timberland in Arkansas include assessing multiple economic and environmental factors in the forest and developing plans to balance growth for the future.
