There s gonna be a lot of jobs at the mills and paper companies that will be affected. It ll be a major loss for Southwest Arkansas. If the debris isn t cleaned up before summer, there s another potential problem. Robbins says damaged trees also increase the likelihood of disease and the threat of southern pine beetle infestation. Mother Nature has Arkansas pecan industry under the gun, as well.
Pecan trees seem to be especially susceptible to ice damage.
Patsy Hawkins grandfather was a doctor who established a pecan plantation on 160 acres near Foreman in Little River County in 1911. It was a thriving operation for some 89 years until this past Christmas. She has lived on the farm since the early 40s and has kept the third-generation business going. It s not her only source of income, but it is nevertheless a financial blow that will take several years to recover from. And they said it took six years for their trees to come back into production.