1. Arkansas Natural Resources A highlight of the “Natural State”

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. Rice production is extremely important to Arkansas. Arkansas Natural Resources

11. Other crops are farmed in Arkansas such as soybeans and cotton

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

13. Resources  http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/ http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/ Arkansas Natural Resources