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49-636: The Caddo River flows out of the Ouachita Mountains through Montgomery , Pike , and Clark counties in Arkansas before flowing into DeGray Lake and then to its terminus at the Ouachita River north of Arkadelphia, Arkansas . The upper Caddo is known as a good family canoeing river and is a popular destination for fishing . Smallmouth and spotted bass are found in quantity, as are longear and green sunfish . The lower course of

98-933: A bush on poor soil, but is ordinarily from 5–20 metres (16–66 feet) tall, with a short trunk 30–100 centimetres (12–39 inches) in diameter, rarely to 27 m (89 ft) in height and 170 cm (67 in) in diameter. The oldest tree reported, from West Virginia , was 940 years old. The bark is reddish-brown, fibrous, and peels off in narrow strips. The leaves are of two types; sharp, spreading needle-like juvenile leaves 5–10 millimetres ( 3 ⁄ 16 – 3 ⁄ 8  in) long, and tightly adpressed scale-like adult leaves 2–4 mm ( 1 ⁄ 16 – 3 ⁄ 16  in) long; they are arranged in opposite decussate pairs or occasionally whorls of three. The juvenile leaves are found on young plants up to 3 years old, and as scattered shoots on adult trees, usually in shade. The seed cones are 3–7 mm ( 1 ⁄ 8 – 1 ⁄ 4  in) long, berry -like, dark purple-blue with

147-661: A circle, Woodhenge III , which is thought to have been constructed circa 1000 AD, had 48 posts in the circle of 410 feet (120 m) in diameter and a 49th pole in the center. Among many Native American cultures, the smoke of burning eastern juniper is believed to expel evil spirits prior to conducting a ceremony, such as a healing ceremony. During the Dust Bowl drought of the 1930s, the Prairie States Forest Project encouraged farmers to plant shelterbelts, i.e. wind breaks, of eastern juniper throughout

196-567: A dense, erect crown; female), 'Goldspire' (narrow conical with yellow foliage), and 'Kobold' (dwarf). Some cultivars previously listed under this species, notably 'Skyrocket', are actually cultivars of J. scopulorum . In the Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma Ozarks , eastern juniper is commonly used as a Christmas tree . This is the most widely used wood for making blocks for recorders . There are numerous properties that it possesses that make it uniquely suitable for this, such as good moisture absorption, low expansion when wet (so it does not crack

245-637: A few broad valleys. Logging is not nearly as intensive as in the commercial pine plantations of the less rugged Athens Plateau. Nutrient, mineral, and biochemical water quality parameter concentrations are low in the surface waters of the Fourche range, but turbidity can be higher than in other mountainous parts of the Ouachitas. Although most streams stop flowing during the driest part of the summer, enduring deep pools, high quality habitat, and good water quality allow sensitive aquatic species to survive through

294-735: A general sense, the Ouachitas are considered an anticlinorium because the oldest known rocks are located towards the center of the outcrop area. The Ouachitas continue in the subsurface to the Black Warrior Basin of Alabama and Mississippi where they plunge towards the Appalachian Mountains . To the southwest, the Ouachitas join with the Marathon area of west Texas where rocks of the Ouachita Fold and Thrust Belt are briefly exposed. Unlike many ranges in

343-625: A series of low relief ridges, none exceeding 1,000 feet (300 m). It is located south of the Ouachitas and extends to the Arkansas-Oklahoma border. The Athens Piedmont runs from Arkadelphia, Arkansas into Oklahoma through Clark , Howard , Pike , and Sevier counties in Arkansas and McCurtain County in Oklahoma. The ecoregion's low ridges and hills are widely underlain by Mississippian Stanley Shale in contrast to other parts of

392-545: A significant increase in levels of soil nitrogen . J. virginiana forests have higher overall nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), despite the common grassland species Andropogon gerardi having a far higher NUE during photosynthesis (PNUE). The forests store much greater amounts of carbon in both biomass and soil, with most of the additional carbon stored aboveground. There is no significant difference in soil microbial activity. Cedar waxwings are fond of juniper berries. It takes about 12 minutes for their seeds to pass through

441-412: A significant portion of land area. The thick foliage blocks out most light, so few plants can live under the canopy. The needles that fall raise the pH of the soil , making it alkaline , which holds nutrients such as phosphorus, making it harder for plants to absorb them. However, studies have found that Juniperus virginiana forests that replace grasslands have a statistically insignificant decrease to

490-666: A white wax cover giving an overall sky-blue color (though the wax often rubs off); they contain one to three (rarely up to four) seeds , and are mature in 6–8 months from pollination. The juniper berry is an important winter food for many birds , which disperse the wingless seeds. The pollen cones are 2–3 mm ( 1 ⁄ 16 – 1 ⁄ 8  in) long and 1.5 mm ( 1 ⁄ 16  in) broad, shedding pollen in late winter or early spring. The trees are usually dioecious , with pollen and seed cones on separate trees, yet some are monoecious. There are two varieties, which intergrade where they meet: Eastern Red Cedar

539-403: Is Rich Mountain at 2,681 feet (817 m), which intersects the Arkansas-Oklahoma border near Mena, Arkansas . The Fourche Mountains are the archetypal Ouachita Mountains. Forested ridges are heavily forested with oak–hickory–pine forest; intervening valleys are cut into shale. Ridges are longer, habitat continuity is greater, the lithologic mosaic is different, and the topographic orientation

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588-633: Is Raspberry Mountain at 2,358 feet (719 m). The headwaters of multiple rivers are found in this area, including the Caddo , Cossatot , and Little Missouri rivers. The Cross Mountains are located in Polk and Sevier counties, Arkansas and McCurtain County, Oklahoma . The highest natural point is Whiskey Peak at 1,670 feet (510 m). The Crystal Mountains are located primarily in Montgomery County, Arkansas . They are so named because of

637-582: Is a Level III ecoregion designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The region has been subdivided into six Level IV ecoregions . Louis R. Harlan claimed that "Ouachita" is composed of the Choctaw words ouac for "bison" and chito for "large", together meaning "country of large bison". At one time, herds of bison inhabited the lowland areas of the Ouachitas. Historian Muriel H. Wright wrote that "Ouachita"

686-481: Is a pioneer species , meaning that it is one of the first trees to repopulate disturbed sites. It is unusually long lived among pioneer species, with the potential to live over 900 years. It is commonly found in prairies or oak barrens, old pastures, or limestone hills, often along highways and near recent construction sites. It is an alternate host for cedar–apple rust , an economically significant fungal disease of apples, and some management strategies recommend

735-423: Is a known allergen . The nominate variety is native to Eastern North America, north of Mexico, with the pollen releasing at various points in the spring, variable by latitude and elevation. The fragrant, finely grained, soft, brittle, very light, pinkish to brownish red heartwood is very durable, even in contact with soil. Because of its resistance to decay , the wood is often used for fence posts. Moths avoid

784-593: Is also the highest natural point of the Ouachitas and U.S. Interior Highlands . The Frontal Ouachita Mountains are structurally quite different from the rest of the Ouachitas and are sometimes considered a separate range. The Trap Mountains are located primarily in Garland and Hot Spring counties, Arkansas . The highest natural point is Trap Mountain at 1,310 feet (400 m). The Zig Zag Mountains are located in Garland County, Arkansas , and are home to

833-540: Is composed of the Choctaw words owa for "hunt" and chito for "big", together meaning "big hunt far from home". According to the article Ouachita in the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture , "Ouachita" comes from the French spelling of the Caddo word washita , meaning "good hunting grounds". The Ouachitas are a major physiographic province of Arkansas and Oklahoma and are generally grouped with

882-409: Is considered an invasive species , and it can be aggressive even within its range. It is fire-intolerant , and was previously controlled by periodic wildfires . Low branches near the ground burn and provide a ladder that allows fire to engulf the whole tree. Grasses recover quickly from low severity fires that are characteristic of prairies that kept the trees at bay. With the urbanization of prairies,

931-553: Is found at only four sites worldwide, all of which are in the Ouachitas. Some native tree species, such as the eastern red-cedar ( Juniperus virginiana ), are colonizers of human-disturbed sites. The Ouachita National Forest covers approximately 1.8 million acres of the Ouachitas. It is one of the largest and oldest national forests in the Southern U.S. , created through an executive order by President Theodore Roosevelt on December 18, 1907. There are six wilderness areas within

980-498: Is more consistent than in other parts of the Ouachitas. Differences in moisture and temperature between north- and south-facing slopes significantly influence native plant communities; they are products of the prevailing topographic trend. Forests on steep, north-facing slopes are more mesic than on southern aspects; the steepest, south-facing slopes contain shallow, moisture deficient soils supporting shrubs and rocky glades or grassy woodlands. Pastureland and hayland are restricted to

1029-554: Is named for the Caddo Native American tribes that, at one time, lived along its banks. Ouachita Mountains The Ouachita Mountains ( / ˈ w ɒ ʃ ɪ t ɔː / ), simply referred to as the Ouachitas , are a mountain range in western Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma . They are formed by a thick succession of highly deformed Paleozoic strata constituting the Ouachita Fold and Thrust Belt, one of

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1078-544: Is the podophyllotoxin , a non- alkaloid toxin lignan . Native American tribes have historically used poles of juniper wood to demarcate agreed tribal hunting territories. French traders named Baton Rouge, Louisiana , which denotes "red stick," from the reddish color of these poles. Some nations continue to use it ceremonially. The Cahokia Woodhenge series of timber circles that the pre-Columbian Mississippian culture in western Illinois erected were constructed of massive logs of eastern juniper. One iteration of such

1127-627: The Arkansas River Valley . Together with the Ozark Plateaus , the Ouachitas form the U.S. Interior Highlands , one of few mountainous regions between the Appalachians and Rockies . The Ouachitas are dominated by pine, oak, and hickory. The shortleaf pine ( Pinus echinata ) and post oak ( Quercus stellata ) thrive in dry, nutrient-poor soil and are common in upland areas. The maple-leaf oak ( Quercus acerifolia )

1176-788: The Ouachita National Forest , which are protected areas designed to minimize the impacts of human activities. Several plants are endemic to the Ouachitas, including: Agalinis nuttallii , Cardamine angustata var. ouachitana , Carex latebracteata , Galium arkansanum var. pubifolium , Houstonia ouachitana , Hydrophyllum brownei , Liatris compacta , Quercus acerifolia , Polymnia cossatotensis , Solidago ouachitensis , Spiranthes niklasii (near endemic, also found on Crowley's Ridge ), Streptanthus maculatus subsp. obtusifolius , Streptanthus squamiformis , Valerianella palmerii , and Vernonia lettermanii . Bison and elk once found habitat in

1225-759: The Ouachita National Recreation Trail , a 223-mile-long (359 km) hiking trail through the heart of the mountains. The trail runs from Talimena State Park in Oklahoma to Pinnacle Mountain State Park near Little Rock . It is a well maintained, premier trail for hikers, backpackers, and mountain bikers (for only selected parts of the trail). The Talimena Scenic Drive begins at Mena , and traverses 54 miles (87 km) of Winding Stair and Rich Mountains, long narrow east-west ridges which extend into Oklahoma. Rich Mountain reaches an elevation of 2,681 feet (817 m) in Arkansas near

1274-491: The United States , the Ouachitas are mostly east-west trending. They are unique because metamorphism and volcanism , features that are common in orogenic belts, are notably absent (with the exception of some low-grade metamorphism ). Due to the high degree of folding and faulting, the Ouachitas are clustered into distinct subranges, with ridges separated by relatively broad valleys. The Ouachitas are known for some of

1323-512: The Caddo, below Degray Dam, is also a popular fishing and canoeing river, although the length of river remaining is only a few miles at that point. Communities through which the Caddo River passes are: On the night of June 11, 2010, between 200 and 300 campers awoke to rapidly rising water, as a flash flood along the Caddo and Little Missouri Rivers killed twenty people. The Caddo River

1372-587: The Great Plains of the US. The trees thrive in adverse conditions. Tolerant of both drought and cold, they grow well in rocky, sandy, and clayey soils. Competition between individual trees is minimal, and therefore they can be closely planted in rows, in which situation they still grow to full height, creating a solid windbreak in a short time. A number of cultivars have been selected for horticulture , including 'Canaertii' (narrow conical; female) 'Corcorcor' (with

1421-481: The Great Plains, expanding red cedar populations are altering the plains ecosystem: a majority of the region's bird species are not present in areas where the tree's land cover exceeds 10 percent, and most small mammal species are not present where land cover exceeds 30 percent. Eastern juniper benefits from increased CO 2 levels, unlike the grasses with which it competes. Many grasses are C4 plants that concentrate CO 2 levels in their bundle sheaths to increase

1470-491: The Gulf of Mexico and east of the Great Plains. Farther west it is replaced by the related Juniperus scopulorum (Rocky Mountain juniper) and to the southwest by Juniperus ashei (Ashe juniper). It is not to be confused with Thuja occidentalis (eastern white cedar). Juniperus virginiana is a dense slow-growing coniferous evergreen tree with a conical or subcylindrical shaped crown that may never become more than

1519-499: The Oklahoma border. The two lane winding road is similar in routing, construction, and scenery to the Blue Ridge Parkway of the Appalachian Mountains . Juniperus virginiana Juniperus virginiana , also known as eastern redcedar , red cedar , Virginian juniper , eastern juniper , red juniper , and other local names, is a species of juniper native to eastern North America from southeastern Canada to

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1568-508: The Ouachita Mountains, but have since been extirpated. Today, there are large populations of white-tailed deer , coyote , and other common temperate forest animals. Though elusive, hundreds of black bear roam the Ouachitas. Several cryptic species of salamander are endemic to the Ouachitas and have traits that vary from one locale to another. The Athens Plateau or Athens Piedmont (EPA Level IV ecoregion 36a) consists of

1617-560: The Ouachitas are as follows (in order of ascending age). The mountains were home to the Ouachita tribe , for which they were named. Later French explorers translated the name to its present spelling. The first recorded exploration was in 1541 by Hernando de Soto . Later, in 1804, President Jefferson sent William Dunbar and Dr. George Hunter to the area after the Louisiana Purchase . Hot Springs National Park became one of

1666-704: The Ouachitas were deposited in a narrow, two-sided basin called the Ouachita Trough, which formed as part of a Cambrian failed rift system. Succeeding Pennsylvanian strata of the Ouachitas were deposited in a foreland basin during the early stages of the Ouachita Orogeny . Subduction of the South American Plate beneath the North American Plate resulted in this mountain-building event. Compressional forces caused

1715-609: The Ouachitas. Today, pine plantations are widespread; they are far more extensive than in the more rugged parts of the Arkansas Ouachitas. Pastureland and hayland also occur. Cattle and broiler chickens are important farm products. The Caddo , Cossatot , and Missouri mountains are a high, compact group of mountains composed of the weather-resistant Arkansas Novaculite. They are located primarily in Montgomery and Polk counties, Arkansas. The highest natural point

1764-449: The aromatic wood, and therefore it is in demand as lining for clothes chests and closets, which are often denominated "cedar closets" and " cedar chests ." If correctly prepared, excellent English longbows , flatbows , and Native American sinew-backed bows can be made from it. It is marketed as "eastern redcedar" and "aromatic cedar." The best portions of the heartwood are one of the few woods that are suitable for making pencils , however

1813-565: The birds' guts, and seeds that have been consumed by this bird have levels of germination roughly three times higher than those of seeds the birds did not eat. Many other birds such as turkeys and bluebirds, along with many mammals such as rabbits, foxes, raccoons, and coyotes also consume them. Virginia Juniper's compact, evergreen foliage makes it favorable for bird nests and as a winter shelter location for birds and mammals. Some species of small mammals live exclusively in red cedar forests. The pollen of Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana

1862-508: The crust to buckle, producing complex folds at all scale levels and several overturned sequences. The area of greatest deformation occurred in the Benton-Broken Bow Uplift, which extends from Benton, Arkansas to Broken Bow, Oklahoma . The total height of the Ouachitas is not known, though they may have exceeded 10,000 feet (3,000 m) (based loosely on geologic cross-sections). The terrain has been deeply eroded since

1911-404: The efficiency of RuBisCO , the enzyme responsible for photosynthesis , while junipers are C3 plants that rely on (and may benefit from) the natural CO 2 concentrations of the environment, although they are less efficient at fixing CO 2 in general. Alterations of prairie ecosystems by J. virginiana include outcompeting forage species in pastureland. The low branches and wide base occupy

1960-426: The fires have been stopped with roads, plowed fields, and other fire breaks, allowing J. virginiana and other trees to invade. Trees are destructive to grasslands if left unchecked, and are actively being eliminated by cutting and prescribed burning . The trees also burn very readily, and dense populations were blamed for the rapid spread of wildfires in drought stricken Oklahoma and Texas in 2005 and 2006. On

2009-512: The important orogenic belts of North America . The Ouachitas continue in the subsurface to the northeast, where they make a poorly understood connection with the Appalachians and to the southwest, where they join with the Marathon uplift area of West Texas . Together with the Ozark Plateaus , the Ouachitas form the U.S. Interior Highlands . The highest natural point is Mount Magazine at 2,753 feet (839 m). The Ouachita Mountains

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2058-596: The late Paleozoic . The Ouachitas are composed of Cambrian through Pennsylvanian sedimentary rocks . The Collier Shale, located at the core of the Benton-Broken Bow Uplift, is the oldest exposed formation of the Ouachitas. The Atoka Formation , which was deposited much later during the Pennsylvanian , has the largest areal extent of any of the Paleozoic formations in Arkansas . The geologic formations of

2107-602: The nation's first parks in 1832. The Battle of Devil's Backbone was fought here at the ridge of the same name in 1863. In August 1990, the U.S. Forest Service discontinued clearcutting as the primary tool for harvesting and regenerating short leaf, pine and hardwood forests in the Ouachita National Forest. The Ouachita Mountains contain the Ouachita National Forest , Hot Springs National Park and Lake Ouachita , as well as numerous state parks and scenic byways mostly throughout Arkansas. They also contain

2156-566: The occurrence of some of the world's finest quartz . The Crystal Mountains are generally taller than the nearby Zig Zag Mountains, achieving elevations over 1,800 feet (550 m). The Fourche Mountains (EPA Level IV ecoregion 36d) are a long, continuous chain of east-west mountains composed of the weather-resistant Jackfork Sandstone . They extend from Pulaski County, Arkansas to Atoka County, Oklahoma and are home to several popular sites of interest, including Pinnacle Mountain State Park near Little Rock, Arkansas . The highest natural point

2205-538: The removal of J. virginiana near apple orchards Eastern Red Cedar grows in a wide range of climatic and soil conditions. The tree is extremely tolerant of drought due to its extensive, fibrous root system and reduced leaf area. It can be found from droughty, rocky soils with few nutrients to rich alluvial soils with abundant moisture. However, Eastern Red Cedar is almost never dominant on such rich mesic sites due to intense competition with faster growing, more shade tolerant hardwood trees. Outside of its native range it

2254-629: The summer. They are the only home and namesake of the Fourche Mountain salamander . The Fourche Mountains form a major watershed divide between the Arkansas River Basin to the north and the Red River Basin to the south. The Frontal Ouachita Mountains are located in the Arkansas River Valley and feature a number of isolated landforms. The highest natural point is Mount Magazine at 2,753 feet (839 m), which

2303-551: The supply had so diminished by the 1940s that the wood of the incense-cedar largely replaced it. Part of the commercially available cedar oil is produced by steam distillation from wood shavings. It contains a wide variety of terpenes. The three major components, alpha- cedrene , thujopsene and cedrol , constitute more than 60% of the essential oil. The fruits also yield an essential oil which contains mostly D-Limonene. The oil derived from foliage and twigs has two main constituents: safrole and limonene . One minor compound

2352-533: The thermal springs of Hot Springs National Park . They are so named because of their unique chevron shape when viewed from above, the result of plunging anticlines and synclines . The Zig Zag Mountains are not exceptionally tall, but do reach heights over 1,400 feet (430 m). The Ouachitas are formed by a thick succession of highly deformed Paleozoic strata constituting the Ouachita Fold and Thrust Belt, which crops out for approximately 220 miles (350 km) in western Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma . In

2401-528: The world's finest quartz , especially around Mount Ida, Arkansas , the quartz capital of the world. The quartz formed after the Ouachita Orogeny when fractures in rocks filled with silica-saturated fluids and, over millions of years, precipitated crystals up to several feet in length. The Ouachitas are also known for novaculite , a variety of chert that has undergone low-grade metamorphism ; particular grades found only in Arkansas are used for making whetstones . Cambrian through Mississippian strata of

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