Arkansas Natural Resources A highlight of the “Natural State”

State ’ s Greatest Natural Land Resources  Five national park sites  2.6 million acres of national forest lands  13 major lakes  Two mountain ranges  9,000 miles of streams and rivers Humans and the Environment

Arkansas’ National Forests  Three National Forest  Ozark (1,055,000 acres)  St. Francis (20,946 acres)  Ouachita (1,572,879 acres)  Total of 2,648,825 acres

Forestry  In 1998, one-sixth of all manufacturing jobs in Arkansas—43,000— were in forest product harvesting and manufacturing.  There were 2,500 companies in the forest product business, and they supported $1.2 billion in payroll, the largest of any manufacturing sector.

Oil in Arkansas  Oil still has a strong economic and cultural influence on the region. El Dorado calls itself “Arkansas’s Original Boomtown.”  In 2000, the annual value of the state’s total mining production (from minerals, oil, and natural gas) topped $1 billion. Oil companies still rank among the leading employers in south Arkansas.mining

Mining - Bauxite  Bauxite is use to make aluminum products such as cans.  The Arkansas bauxite region covers about 275 square miles in the northern part of the West Gulf Coastal Plain and is divided into two mining districts.mining  One area is in Pulaski County, south and east of Little Rock, and the other is in nearby Saline County, northeast and east of Benton.Pulaski CountyLittle RockSaline County

Poultry Industry  A staple of the state’s economy, the Arkansas poultry industry first emerged in the 1890s.  Tyson Foods, based in Springdale, had become one of the largest agribusiness firms in the United States. Tyson Foods  Northwest Arkansas, particularly Washington an d Benton counties, produces the majority of poultry in Arkansas.WashingtonBenton

Chicken Production  Arkansas is the nation’s second leading chicken producer.  Arkansas produces more than 1.2 billion chickens and 3.4 billion eggs per year.

Turkey Production Arkansas Natural Resources  29 Million Turkeys are raised each year in Arkansas. (USAD 2005)  The turkeys produced yearly in Arkansas would be enough to fill over 12,000 refrigerated semi- trucks.

Rice production is extremely important to Arkansas. Arkansas Natural Resources

Other crops are farmed in Arkansas such as soybeans and cotton

Diamonds  Murfreesboro, Arkansas  Home of the only diamond mine open to the public in North America Arkansas Natural Resources

Resources  Arkansas Natural Resources