HSNP included in forest network
Hot Springs National Park became the first Arkansas forest to be included in the Old-Growth Forest Network this week, the National Park Service said in a news release on Tuesday.
The Dogwood, Goat Rock and Sunset trails were formally dedicated into the Old-Growth Forest Network on Monday, and will serve as Garland County’s representative in the network of ancient forests, the release said.
“We look forward to add-
ing more Arkansas counties to the network in the future. We depend on a volunteer in each county to help us identify candidate forests. In addition to creating a network of forests we are also creating a network of people who care about forests,” Joan Maloof, the founder and director of the Old-Growth Forest Network, said in the release. Maloof attended the dedication.
The release said the mission of the Old-Growth Forest Network is to connect people with nature by creating a national network of protected, mature, publicly accessible, native forests. The goal is to preserve at least one forest in every county in the United States that can sustain a forest, estimated to be 2,370 out of a total of 3,140 counties.
Initially established as Hot Springs Reservation in 1832 to preserve the thermal springs and associated lands by placing them under federal jurisdiction, the reservation was renamed Hot Springs National Park in 1921 after the creation of the National Park Service.
While the boundaries of the park have changed over time, portions of the park have remained protected for more than
175 years, the release said. “The upland forest communities in those areas remain today as old-growth forest stands, and they are unique for their proximity to the bustling downtown area of the city of Hot Springs,” it said.
Several trees within two oldgrowth forest stands of oak, hickory and pine forest within the national park were core-dated in
1983 by the Tree-Ring Laboratory, a facility of the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arkansas. Analysis of the resulting dendrochronology graphs shows the trees are now around
300 years old, the release said. “These old-growth forest stands cover approximately 220 acres and are considered significant old-growth trees for this area and our state,” it said. The Arkansas Famous and Historic Tree Program has recognized these old growth forest stands as Tree Community No. 37.
OGFN’s program works to identify forests for the network, ensure their protection from logging, and inform people of the forest locations. Founded in 2012 by Maloof, who has a Ph.D. in ecology and is a professor emeritus, the network includes more than 50 forests in 15 states.
OGFN also recognizes exceptional forest advocates, educates about the extraordinary ecological benefits of old-growth forests, and speaks out regarding immediate threats to specific ancient forests, the release said. Visit http://www.oldgrowthforest.net for more information.
States that already have forests in the network include New York, Massachusetts, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Colorado, Hawaii, Michigan, Virginia and West Virginia.