Forests in Taney County
The Ozarks used to be a thoroughly forested region. However, that has all changed.
The greatest damage to these forests was done when railroad ties were in demand. From 1910 to 1925 Reeds Spring was the largest supplier of white oak railroad ties in the U.S. After this, there were no remaining tracts of forest remaining in either Stone or Taney counties.
The solution to this problem began at about the same time as the problem. In 1911 Congress passed the Weeks Law which allowed the government to purchase pieces of land from private owners in order to establish National Forests. Beginning in 1933 and continuing throughout the decade, the Missouri State Legislature passed a series of enabling acts which created the Mark Twain National Forest in the Ozarks.
The forests of Taney County provide hunting, camping, hiking, bird and animal watching, and any other activities people might enjoy in the woods.
The most common trees in Taney county are oaks, hickories, sycamores, maples, elms, and ashes. This area is well known for the beauty of the forests during the fall of the year. When the leaves on the trees begin to change colors, there are scenes present in this area that are comparable with those of any other that occur in nature.
During the spring of the year there are many trees in the Ozark hills that have very colorful outbursts. Some striking blooms that occur on some of the trees of the region include the white flowers of the serviceberry, the pink-lavender blooms of the redbud, and the white blossoms of the dogwood. These trees, like the others during the fall, also provide some great scenery for the people of this region.
Works Cited
McGill, Robert. "A Recovered Forest: Mark Twain National Forest." In the Heart of Ozark Mountain Country: A Popular History of Stone and Taney Counties, including Branson, Missouri. Reeds Spring, MO: White Oak Press, 1992. pp. 82-84.
Photographs of redbud and sumac, courtesy of Lyons Memorial Library, College of the Ozarks
Photograph of dogwood by Phyllis Rossiter, courtesy of Gaye Lisby, Branson Living Magazine
