Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Lost 40 Part Of Heritage

Potlatch Corporation and the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission (ANHC), an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, have created a 40-year cooperative management agreement to conserve the unique values of The Lost 40, a 40-acre strand of hardwood and pine trees believed to be a remnant of the south's "first forest."

Potlatch and the Arkansas Natural Hertiage Commission consider The Lost 40 a "living library," that offers a rare opportunity to learn about the long-term history and dynamics of the forest lifecycle.

Located in southeastern Calhoun County near Moro Creek, The Lost 40 supports a forest of willow oak, water oak, southern red oak, hickory, loblolly pine and other tree species. Many of these trees are large with some loblolly pine exceeding four feet in diameter. The forest is habitat for wild turkeys and other wildlife.

"The Lost 40 gives us, and the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, a unique oppornity to learn about the generations of forest management in the area, to teach others about the forest lifecycle and to observe and learn more about the changing values over long periods of time in a `first forest,'" said Dick Bullard, Potlatch Southern Wood Products division vice president.

"This agreement helps Potlatch Corporation ensure that our children and grandchildren have an opportunity to learn about our natural forest heritage and the importance of the forests to our environment and to our economy in Arkansas," he said.

"We appreciate our partnership with Potlatch to conserve this exampel of Arkansas' early forests. The Lost 40 is a living library from which we can learn about forest history, changing ecological systems and the natural lifecycle of Arkansas' pine and hardwood forest lands," Harold Grimmett, director of the ANHC, said.

ANHC deputy director, Mina Marsh, added, "Our program has enjoyed a partnership with Potlatch Corporation that goes back more than 20 years, ever since we first expressed interest in acquiring land for Warren Prairie Natural Area; and Potlatch has subsequently helped us develop productive working relationships with other timber companies in Arkansas.

"Our agency began acquiring Warren Prairie Natural Area with a purchase from Potlatch Corporation in 1983," Marsh said. "This natural area, which lies east of Warren, currently encompasses some 580 acres. Much like Warren Prairie, The Lost 40 gives us a chance to study it, learn from it and deepen our appreciation for our state's naural heritage."

"The Lost 40 agreement stands out as a public-private partnership that will benefit generations of Arkansans and will conserve a very special place in the woods," Bev Lindsey, director of Department of Arkansas Heritage, said.

Lindsey and members of the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission toured The Lost 40 and visited the Warren Prairie during their trip to Warren to announce the partnership formally and to conduct a regular commission meeting. Bullard and Grimmett signed the agreement on Friday, June 14, prior to the commission meeting.

The Lost 40 agreement forms a Partnership Committee comprised of Potlatch employees and Natural Heritage Commission staff. The committee will prepare an annual partnership plan that includes site inspections, an annual evaluation, a summary of conditions and changes, and other recommendations if appropriate.

To protect the site's values, the committee also will mutually approve any forest manageemnt decisions, such as salvage harvesting due to possible natural disasters or insect infestation.

The committee will select scientific and educational projects for The Lost 40, such as site visits by educators and students, special projects by forestry professionals and site visits by commission staff or conservation groups, who wish to learn more about this area.

Some foresters attribute the name "The Lost 40" to a lengthy land title dispute during which Moro Creek changed its channel, leaving The Lost 40 in Calhoun County rather than Bradley County. During this time, property taxes were paid on the land in both Bradley and Calhoun counties.

Others cite the area's remote location as the inspiration for The Lost 40 moniker.

Potlatch Corporation is a diversified forest products company based in San Francisco with timberlands in Arkansas (including Prescott), Idaho and Minnesota.

The Southern Wood Products division manages the company's 500,000 acres of timberland in Arkansas and operates lumber manufacturing units in Warren and Prescott. The Arkansas Pulp and Paperboard division near McGehee produces bleached pulp and paperboard at its Cypress Bend Mill.

The Arkansas Natural Heritage Commmission, an agency of the Department of Arkansas heritage, identifies plant and animal species and plant communities that are representative of the state's natural diversity and provides appropriate protection for those elements of its natural heritage that have statewide significance.