Lake Winona
Location
County: Saline Co.
Forest: Ouachita National Forest
District: Winona Ranger District
SAF Cover Types:
- shortleaf pine: 75
View a searchable map for Lake Winona RNA.
Related Reports and Publications
- Fountain, M. and Sweeney, J. 1980. Lake Winona Research Natural Area. Unpublished Report.
- Fountain, M. and Sweeney, J. 1987. Ecological assessment of the Lake Winona Research Natural Area. Res. Pap. 235. New Orleans, LA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Forest Experiment Station. 14 p.
- Fountain, M. 1991. Tree and non-tree dimensions of an old-growth shortleaf pine stand: Lake Winona Research Natural Area. Restoration of old growth forests in the interior highlands of Arkansas and Oklahoma. Proceedings of the conference. Ouachita National Forest and Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development.
Ecological and Physical Description
After a tornado occurred in 1982 and destroyed the trees, 120 acres of old growth was substituted for 120 damaged acres.
Annual precipitation averages 53.3 in.
The nearest weather station is Alum Fork U.S. Weather Bureau Station on Lake Winona, approximately three miles to the east.
Most of the current landforms of the Ouachita Mountains developed during the Tertiary Period beginning 63 million years ago and continuing into the Quaternary Period, about one million years ago. The RNA is located on the south end of the Fourche Mountains. Elevation of the mountains ranges from 500-2500 ft.
Shale, sandstone, novaculite and quartzite are common parent materials of soils in the region. Soils are typically shallow with moderate to high rock content.
The area lies in the Alum Fork Watershed. Alum Fork Creek is the main source of water for Lake Winona and the city of Little Rock. The undisturbed vegetation will continue to protect the watershed.
Flora and Fauna
Common Plant Species
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Category | At Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quercus alba | White oak | Plant Communities | ||
| Q. rubra | Northern red oak | Plant Communities | ||
| Q. velutina | Black oak | Plant Communities | ||
| Yellow lady’s slipper | At Risk Species | ✔ | ||
| Acer rubrum | Red maple | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Cercis canadensis | Redbud | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Q. stellata | Post oak | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Nyssa sylvatica | Black oak | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Carya spp. | Hickory | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Ilex opaca | American holly | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Carpinus caroliniana | American hornbeam | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Cornus florida | Flowering dogwood | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Juniperus virginiana | Eastern redcedar | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Fraxinus americana | White ash | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Morus rubra | Red mulberry | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Ulmus alata | Winged elm | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Sassafras albidum | Sassafras | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Andropogon virginicus | Broom sedge | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Scleria sp. | Nut rush | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Panicum commutatum | Panic grass | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Pteridum aquilinum | Bracken fern | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Antennaria plantaginifolia | Pussy's toes | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Aster anomalus | Anomalous aster | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Solidago hispida | Hispid goldenrod | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Desmodium laevigatum | Smooth beggar's lice | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Solidago caesia | Bluestem goldenrod | Common Herbaceous Species |