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On October 17, the University of Arkansas at Monticello hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the Arkansas Forest Health Research Center, bringing political and higher education leaders from across the state to its campus in Monticello. During the event, which was attended by Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin announced that $1 million of state settlement funds will be provided to UAM for the project.

“What you’re doing here is amazing,” Attorney General Griffin said to UAM leaders as he made the surprise contribution announcement.

The project received initial funding in February 2024, when the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration received approval to allocate $16.8 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to UAM for the construction of the center.

During the groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, Dr. Michael Blazier, dean of the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources at UAM and director of the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, said, “This will be a center that supports our state agencies like the Arkansas Forestry Division and the Game and Fish Commission in their missions to safeguard forest health and will do so through sample testing, monitoring of forest health threats and providing research-based information on those forest health threats as they arise.”

Forests in Arkansas support $16 billion of the state’s economy annually through wood products, tourism and hunting. However, increased threats to forest health from invasive pests, changing disease behaviors and climate stressors such as flooding and droughts pose risks to this important economic asset. Currently, Arkansas has no in-state facilities for testing forest diseases and insects.

UAM, as a leader in forestry, allied health and agriculture workforce development in Arkansas, aims to serve the state to remedy this issue. The Arkansas Forest Health Research Center will be among the top facilities of its kind in the Southeast United States.

Dr. Blazier noted that the center will have an estimated $150 million economic impact per year, explaining, “As you keep forests safe and you lose less of them to mortality, there is a huge multiplier effect throughout the supply chain for forestry and the landowners. We also provide that economic benefit by enhancing and increasing the workforce for forestry and natural resources and the expertise that they’ll have in forest health. We will get a return on investment many times over thanks to this center.”

Dr. Peggy Doss, chancellor of UAM, celebrated the significance of the center and thanked the political leaders who made it possible. “This is not just a new facility. This represents a true beginning of a transformative chapter for both the University of Arkansas at Monticello and the entire state of Arkansas….First and foremost, none of this would have been possible without the tremendous backing of Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Governor Sanders’ visionary leadership from the outset of discussions of this project has been essential in recognizing this transformative potential for the center and not only sustaining Arkansas’ forests but also for strengthening the industries that depend on the forest industry. Equally, we owe a debt of gratitude to our local delegation, Senator Ben Gilmore, Representative Jeff Wardlaw and Representative Howard Beaty, and members of the Arkansas Forestry Caucus who have championed this project along the way.”

Kelly Eichler, chair of the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees, acknowledged the impact the center will have, stating, “As the Board of Trustees, we consider many good ideas from leadership….Rarely, though does one have the impact that this building will have. It will impact an entire industry, the entire Southeast United States, the campus, the UA System and the state of Arkansas, and we appreciate a very good idea brought to us by Chancellor Doss, and we appreciate her leadership.”

“I believe it’s safe to say that the vibrations about to be created when the ground is broken behind me on this project will reverberate throughout the Southeastern United States, especially here in the southeast region of Arkansas and at UAM,” Dr. Donald Bobbitt, president of the University of Arkansas System, said.

Governor Sanders attended the event as a special guest speaker, telling the audience, “There is a reason why so many leaders from the UA System and all over the state of Arkansas are here today. It’s because UAM is doing critical work for our state, and it’s the only place in our state doing what it does.”

She also praised the university and its mission, stating, “UAM is the type of place, where any kid, no matter their background, can get a good education in a field that is critical for our state’s economy.”

“I was proud to direct funds through the state to help build this facility and benefit all of Arkansas far into the future, but money is only one part of it. Actually moving dirt and running this center is the critical piece to its success, so I want to give my deepest thanks to our legislators who tirelessly advocated for the forest research center and to the faculty and to the staff who will put this great idea into action. You have done great work, not just for this school, and not just for this region, but for all of Arkansas, and for that, we can all celebrate this incredibly special event and moment that we know will continue to help Arkansas rise to the top,” Governor Sanders said.

Representatives Howard Beaty and Jeff Wardlaw and Senators Bart Hester and Ben Gilmore also spoke at the event and were recognized by multiple speakers for their roles in championing the project to the Arkansas legislature.

Dr. Doss also acknowledged Tommy Maxwell of Maxwell Hardwood Flooring and his family, who will donate the hardwood flooring for the center, and the family of John W. Spivey, whose contribution will allow for the addition of a conference center to the project.

The research center will be located on the Monticello campus between the University Police Station and the Fine Arts Center and housed within the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources at the university. Construction will be completed by the summer of 2026.

For additional information on the Arkansas Forest Health Research Center, contact Dr. Michael Blazier at blazier@uamont.edu or 870-460-1152.