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	Huge moss covered trees are iconic of Southern floodplain forests. © TNC View more photos from the search for the ivory-billed woodpecker.

Saving the Big Woods of Arkansas

A Vision for the Future

Together with private landowners and conservation partners, The Nature Conservancy is taking action at local sites to restore the lands, waters, plants and animals of the Big Woods of Arkansas. The Nature Conservancy has four main goals:

Protect the remaining forests and wetlands

Of the 550,000 acres of bottomland forest still standing, about 300,000 acres is contiguous. The remainder exists as islands among agricultural fields. The Nature Conservancy has helped protect more than 120,000 acres of the Big Woods, and is now aiming to conserve and restore an additional 200,000 acres of forest — vital habitat for the ivory-billed woodpecker and other species.

Reforest degraded sites

Reforestation is the best means of reconnecting forest fragments. More than 50,000 acres of cleared land in the Big Woods has been replanted in bottomland hardwoods, and much of the land the Conservancy plans to conserve is slated for reforestation.

Restore sustainable form and function to major rivers

The Nature Conservancy has been working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and river scientists to find ways of restoring the rivers’ natural hydrologic regime and reconnecting river and floodplain forest.

Reduce river sedimentation and pollution

The Nature Conservancy in Arkansas reduces river sedimentation in the Arkansas delta (and on waterways in other areas of Arkansas) by working with its public and private partners to conserve riparian zones — primarily through reforestation.

The Nature Conservancy is also presently conducting sediment studies on the Cache River to assess those areas that most contribute to increased sedimentation, and the Conservancy has planned similar studies on the White River.

For More Information About the Ivory-billed Woodpecker:

• The Search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker
  Follow the ivory-billed woodpecker on a journey through historic America lasting one hundred and eighty-five years.
• Audio Chat: Phillip Hoose Speaks About the Ivory-billed Woodpecker
  Listen to Phillip Hoose, author of The Race to Save the Lord God Bird speak about the recent rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker in a live online audio chat.
• How You Can Help: Donate online
  Support our efforts to conserve this critical habitat for the ivory-bill and other species.
• Ivory-billed Woodpecker News
  See ivory-billed woodpecker photos, maps of the ivory-bill's habitat, and other news and information about the rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker.