From the Forests to the Freeways
Some say it's hard to see the forest for the trees. But Arkansans see the forest and its potential – materials to build homes, a bioenergy resource, and an industry that employs thousands of Arkansans, sustaining families across the Natural State. Serving as an engineer and forester in Congress, it is a privilege to represent a district and state where forestry is a time-honored way of life and advocate for policies that affect an industry with profound impacts on the Natural State.
In the heart of America's wood basket, the Natural State is covered by 19 million acres of forestland that supports over 25,000 jobs and generates more than $7 billion for our state's economy. From lumber to paper and many things in between, our forestry industry provides an abundance of resources to every corner of the United States in many different industries. Additionally, as recently reported by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Arkansas forests are so abundant that we are far outpacing the harvest rate with the growth rate, known as the growth-to-drain ratio. This means that even with a robust forestry economy, we are growing significantly more trees than we harvest, which leaves room for much more sustainable economic growth.
Our log truck drivers play a vital role in our state's timber supply chain – ensuring the delivery of our forest's raw materials. However, to connect the materials to the mills and production sites responsible for manufacturing these products, viable transportation routes are necessary. As they are required to reduce their load weights to travel on federal highways, in order to remain competitive, log trucks are forced to stay off our interstates and navigate through smaller towns, creating distinct challenges and safety concerns for students in school zones and other commuters in these areas.
Undoubtedly, several of you have likely witnessed a log truck or two passing through stoplights, navigating a roundabout, or making multiple turns where tail swings can be up to 24 feet long. These tedious turns likely cause much uncertainty among other drivers on the road and, in the worst cases, can cause accidents that put our public in danger. Driving through school zones, college campuses, and even medical areas, these large trucks create several safety concerns that can be easily snuffed out by allowing these trucks short-distance access to federal highways and interstates.
As Congress continues to work to pass the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies appropriations bill for fiscal year 2026, I sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee this week to request an inclusion for a safety provision that allows logging trucks onto federal highways for stretches of up to 20 miles in the state of Arkansas. Not only would this request greatly benefit our forestry industry by allowing these trucks to transport one of our state's greatest natural resources in an expedited manner, but it also addresses the numerous safety concerns that have been raised across the state.
It is always a privilege to represent the folks in my district and advocate for the greater safety of our rural communities. This letter is certainly a direct result of that commitment. Additionally, championing our state's great forestry industry remains a top-of-mind issue as I continue working alongside my Republican colleagues to craft commonsense, conservative legislation that benefits Arkansans and Americans alike.
Read the full letter sent to the House Appropriations Committee at the link here.