[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 2885-2886]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE OZARK-ST. FRANCIS NATIONAL FORESTS

 Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, today I recognize one of the most 
beloved heritages in my home State of Arkansas, our national forests. 
Arkansas is blessed with two National Forest Systems, the Ouachita 
National Forest

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and the Ozark-St. Francis National Forests. Last year, we recognized 
the 100th Anniversary of the Ouachita National Forest which stretches 
from western Arkansas to southeastern Oklahoma. On March 6, 2008, the 
Ozark-St. Francis National Forests will take their turn and celebrate 
their centennial anniversary.
  For the last 100 years, the Ozark-St. Francis National Forests have 
protected our Nation's timber resources while also providing Americans 
with numerous outdoor and recreational opportunities. What is unique is 
that they are two completely separate and distinct forests but are 
managed together.
  In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt set aside lands that spanned 
the Ozark Mountains and named it the Ozark National Forest. His goal 
was to conserve and safeguard the hardwood timberlands in our State, 
and it was one of the first efforts in our country's history to protect 
our Nation's valuable forests.
  Today, the Ozark National Forest contains a little more than 1.2 
million acres and runs across northern Arkansas to the Oklahoma border. 
It is a diverse forest that harbors more than 500 different types of 
trees and other woody plants. Moreover, it is home to the tallest 
mountain in the State of Arkansas, Mount Magazine, outside Paris, AR, 
and includes a living underground cave system, Blanchard Spring Caves, 
near Mountain View, AR.
  A little more than 50 years after President Roosevelt created the 
Ozark National Forest, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued a 
proclamation to set aside 22,000 additional acres in Arkansas. Named 
the St. Francis National Forest, it is one of the smallest forests in 
the National Forest System. The St. Francis Forest begins in the hilly 
Crowley's Ridge section of eastern Arkansas and runs along the St. 
Francis River to the Mississippi River in the delta flatlands.
  Each forest has its own unique character, geography, and topography, 
but together, they form the Ozark-St. Francis National Forests.
  The headquarters is located in Russellville, AR, at the Henry R. Koen 
Forest Service Office Building. The building is named for the man who 
supervised the Ozark National Forest from 1922-1939. The Henry R. Koen 
Building is a landmark in and of itself. Built by the Civilian 
Conservation Corps, a New Deal work relief program during the Great 
Depression, it was dedicated in 1939. In April 1979, the building was 
named in Mr. Koen's honor after legislation was introduced in Congress 
by my predecessor, Senator Dale Bumpers.
  As we celebrate this milestone, I also want the forest supervisors in 
Arkansas to know that I am continuing to fight for them in the U.S. 
Senate. They oversee some of the largest national forests in the South. 
Traditionally, our forest management and conservation programs have 
been highly productive, efficient, and profitable, benefitting 
taxpayers, local economies, and the region. However, with limited 
resources, our forest supervisors face considerable challenges in 
accessing and managing all of the forests.
  Earlier this year, I sent a letter with the entire Arkansas 
Congressional delegation to the Bush administration to express our 
support for greater resources for our State's national forests. 
Currently, our forest supervisors are only able to implement one half 
of their total forest management plan. Furthermore, damage from recent 
tornadoes has compounded the need for resources to access salvageable 
timber in the most efficient and timely manner possible.
  It is my belief that additional investment in Arkansas's national 
forests will allow Arkansans to continue enjoying them for another 100 
years and beyond.

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