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Helena in Phillips County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)
 

What is a bottled hardwood forest?

 
 
What is a bottled hardwood forest? Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Sandra Hughes, January 17, 2012
1. What is a bottled hardwood forest? Marker
Inscription.
Found in the floodplains of rivers and streams, these wetland communities depend on water. Unlike a swamp (where water is always present), bottomland hardwood forests experience seasonal flooding.

Disappearing forest
Before the arrival of European settlers, bottomland hardwood forest were a lot more common in Arkansas. Little by little, settlers cleared the land to plant crops. Some species of birds, including the ivory-billed woodpecker, were driven to extinction when the forest disappeared.

Flood-tolerant trees like the bald cypress and water tupelo survive-and thrive-in these areas.

The role of flooding
Flooding is not always a bad thing. In fact, hardwood forests depend on it! Changing water levels help maintain the health of the ecosystem. When floods occur, water often accumulates throughout the forests, and these water stores come in handy during dry periods. Flooding also prevents decay among plants, allowing nutrients to build up.

Who lives here?
Rich forest soils are prime real estate for more than 70 species of trees. The river is home to 241 species of fish, 37 species of mussel, 45 amphibians, 50 mammals and a diverse population of birds.
Many cannot survive anywhere else. A third of the nation’s threatened and endangered plants
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and animals rely on wetland habitats.

Red-bellied Woodpecker
Constructs nests in large, dead trees in open and swampy woodlands.

Indigo Bunting
Often migrates during the night, using the stars to direct itself.

Water Oak
Because it grows quickly, this tree is used to restore bottomland hardwood forests on land that was previously cleared for agriculture.

Barred Owl
Loves flooded forests, feeding on rodents, birds, and crayfish.

Prothonotary Warbler
A summer visitor to Arkansas’s wetlands. Nests in trees in areas subject to flooding.

Wood Stork
Lives along the rivers, lakes, and marshes.

Bald Eagle
Requires mature stands of hardwood trees for perching, roosting, and nesting.

Beaver
These large rodents live in freshwater lakes, ponds, rivers and streams, usuallly near woodlands.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: AnimalsEnvironmentSettlements & Settlers.
 
Location. 34° 31.3′ N, 90° 34.86′ W. Marker is in Helena, Arkansas, in Phillips County. Marker is on Perry Street. The marker is located along boardwalk at Helena River Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Helena AR 72342, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker
What is a bottled hardwood forest? Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Sandra Hughes, January 17, 2012
2. What is a bottled hardwood forest? Marker
. What is the impact of stormwater on the Mississippi? (here, next to this marker); "the gunboat Tyler saved the day" (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); "Hell-in-Arkansas" (about 400 feet away); Helena and The Trail of Tears (approx. ¼ mile away); They Passed This Way (approx. ¼ mile away); The Battle of Helena (approx. ¼ mile away); River Birds (approx. ¼ mile away); Those who have come before (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Helena.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on August 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 1, 2017, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 232 times since then and 10 times this year. Last updated on August 30, 2023, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on September 1, 2017, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.

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Apr. 25, 2024