Old forest examined in rainy Back 40 hike
A handful of Bella Vistans braved the rain Saturday morning to go on the August Back 40 Story hike, featuring a discussion about forest archaeology and a look at the blue ash, one of Arkansas’ least common native trees.
Fred Paillet, emeritus scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey and adjunct professor of geoscience at the University of Arkansas, led the hike.
The hiking group got a break in the rain at the hike’s start, but as they descended and neared the bottom of a valley, near the shore of Lake Ann, weather stopped cooperating — but the discussion continued as hikers reached the highlight of the trip — a massive blue ash growing alongside a creek bed.
“It was the first time I’d seen it in the area,” Paillet said.
It’s an extremely rare tree, he said, because it tends to occupy a very narrowly-defined habitat — one with rich, limestone soil — and it’s more of a northern tree, meaning there are very few in Arkansas and most are in the northwestern part of the state.
It helped that this specimen was also very close to the more common white ash, he said, giving hikers a chance to compare and contrast the two.
It’s important to show off these trees while they’re still here.
“All these trees are doomed,” he said, noting that invasive species, like the emerald ash borer, are
causing problems with the ash population nationwide.
A trend in forest research is finding patches of old, virgin forest that are out among the rest of the woods, he said, and the section he visited — near the Buckingham trailhead — fits that bill nicely.
“That little valley there may only be an acre or two, but it’s truly pristine,” he said.
Paillet recently co-wrote a book titled Ozark Forest Forensics: The Science Behind the Scenery in our Regional Forests with Steve Stephenson, a research professor at the University of Arkansas who teaches plant biology and forest ecology.
The book was published by the Ozark Society Foundation.
Among those on the hike was Bella Vistan Steve Mcauley, who said it was difficult to hear Paillet speak in the rain but he still had a good time.
In addition to learning about the forest itself, he said, it was a good reminder of how beautiful the outdoors in Bella Vista can be.
“I did learn a lot and thought it was well worth my time and effort, even in the rain,” Mcauley said.
“It was so canopied and beautiful.”