Arkansas Game and Fish Commission says red oaks making comeback in wilderness management areas

WEINER, Ark. (KAIT/Edited News Release) - Cutting trees to save a forest doesn’t seem logical on the surface, but that’s the exact prescription to cure what’s ailing Arkansas’s famous flooded timber — that and a re-examination of how and when to intentionally flood those trees to provide waterfowl habitat.

Well into its first decade, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s revised management approach to repair degraded habitat for mallards is showing signs of success — you just have to see the forest for the trees.

Ducks, primarily mallards and wood ducks, seek bottomland hardwoods for three primary reasons: thermal cover in winter, sanctuary for pair bonding, and food. The food resource comes in the form of invertebrates found in decaying leaves and energy-rich acorns.

Cutting trees to