Southwest Arkansas Earns BDO Zone ‘AA’ Rating

October 6, 2026 – Southwest Arkansas Development Alliance, Ecostrat and the BDO Zone Initiative are pleased to announce the issue of a BDO Zone ‘AA’ Rating for Southwest Arkansas. The BDO Zone is rated for 1,026,000 bone dry tons per year of low-risk woody biomass and spans a 75-mile drive radius from its central point in Prescott, AR.

Southwest Arkansas ‘AA’ rating denotes very high prospective viability of Feedstock Supply and Infrastructure and low expectations of default risk in the Zone. Southwest Arkansas stands out for its structural surplus of woody biomass and the timber growth in the region outpaces removals by a 1.6 growth-to-drain ratio, backed by an established procurement network and a diversified supplier base spanning three states. The anchor site — Prescott Industrial Park, 126 acres on Interstate 30 — brings on-site rail via the Prescott & Northwestern Railroad, 13.8 kV electric service, Summit Utilities natural gas, and municipal water and sewer. Combined with competitive regional labor costs, Southwest Arkansas offers a compelling, low-risk profile for biobased industrial development.

“Southwest Arkansas has the feedstock, the workforce, and the site-ready infrastructure to support serious biobased investment. This ‘AA’ rating reflects the strength of our region’s sustainably managed timberland and the readiness of Southwest Arkansas, and we see it as a meaningful signal to developers and investors looking for a very low-risk, high-viability location on the I-30 corridor.”

“The designation of a BDO zone for the Prescott Industrial Park represents a significant opportunity to position Prescott and Southwest Arkansas as a regional hub for woody-biomass utilization and advanced biofuel development. The AA rating will signal to investors and bioenergy developers that the Prescott Industrial Park is positioned to compete nationally for new bio-based manufacturing facilities that will support biomass supply chain, renewable fuels, biomass energy and other emerging bio products.”

“Southwest Arkansas combines a structural oversupply of pulpwood with a significant, largely untapped forest residue stream and a feedstock profile that’s hard to match. When you pair that with a shovel-ready, rail- and interstate-served industrial site in Prescott, this is one of the strongest signals we can send to biobased developers about where to locate their next project.”

View the full BDO Zone Rating for Southwest Arkansas

Learn more at www.bdozone.org.