Forests are a key part of the Texas landscape. With over 59 million acres of forest, Texas is the second most forested state in the United States. From the pineywoods in East Texas to the thornforests in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas forests support hundreds of animals and plants across the state. So today, let’s explore our forests and what makes them so beautiful.

Angelina National Forest 

To start this journey, let’s begin in East Texas, with the pineywoods. The pineywoods are a large coniferous forest that stretches from East Texas to Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. All four national forests and five state forests in Texas lie at least in part in the pineywoods. While each state and national forest holds slightly different characteristics, they are all united by the presence of hardwood trees like the elm, mesquite, and ash trees, and a uniform rain coverage that helps the trees get the water they need to grow.

Angelina National Forest is one of the most iconic national forests in the pineywoods. Right on the border between Texas and Louisiana, Angelina National Forest was established by  President Franklin D.Roosevelt in 1936. The forest is massive, totaling 153,179 acres. Within these forests, you can be left to wonder and reflect, surrounded by trees like the Southern Red Oak, which can grow upwards of 150 feet and have a circumference of 27 feet. A stature that puts these trees at over 11 stories tall and wider than 15 humans standing side to side. 

Angelina National Forest has seen it all. The Southern Red Oaks have been a part of this forest since humans existed, as they evolved over 56 million years ago. In addition, the Bald Cypress tree here can live up to 1,800 years. With this lifespan, Adult Bald Cypress trees are older than the printing press and the concept of playing cards. 

Our state forests are dedicated to preserving the legacy of the trees that make up our Texas landscape. Siecke State Forest, an hour north of Beaumont, is one of the starting points for this effort. In 1924, it became Texas’s first state forest. Within this forest, the Texas Forest Service established its first pine seedling nursery and a silvicultural(Forest) research program to help ensure the health of the trees across Texas. 

These programs support a diverse ecosystem within Siecke State Forest. Exploring these forests, individuals can find an eastern cottontail rabbit sprinting upwards of 18 miles per hour, Opossums whose pouches make them the only native marsupial in North America, and Rafinesque’s Big-eared Bat, whose ears make up a ¼ of their body length. 

Fairchild State Forest

The extraordinary life maintained in our pineywoods is further seen in Fairchild Forest. This forest is a vital habitat for the birds of Texas. In addition to the other pineywoods, it supports over 100 different species of birds. These species include highlights like the Eastern Kingbird, a bold bird that will puff up its chest and chase off predators approaching its nest, and the Blue-Grey Gnatsnatcher, which speeds through the air in short bursts to eat up the insects that live in the forest. 

Forest staff are dedicated to preserving the health of the birds that call the Fairchild Forest home. In the 1970s, the population of the Red-Cockaded woodpecker, which lived in the Fairchild forest, was dwindling. The open forests it needed to thrive were being cut down due to logging, so the Red-Cockaded woodpecker occupied less than 1% of its original range. Due to habitat loss and other difficulties, the Red-Cockaded woodpecker’s total population had fallen below 10,000. Noticing this, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department worked with the national government to help these birds recover. Fairchild Forest staff established a Red-cockaded woodpecker management area to increase the woodpecker population. In addition, Fairchild Forest and other east Texas forests engaged in prescribed burns, which improved the health of the mature pine and oak trees, which the woodpecker relied on for nesting. These prescribed burns helped the mature trees by thinning out smaller, younger trees when they become too dense, improving the soil’s health. Due to these efforts, the Red-cockaded woodpecker was able to bounce back as their population increased to 15,000 in recent years.  

Caddo State Park 

In addition to our national and state forests, Texas State Parks also provide an excellent insight into Texas’s tree life. Founded in 1933, Caddo State Park was the first Texas state park supervised by the National Park Service. It is home to Texas’s largest natural lake and provides an important habitat for trees like the bald cypress, which thrives in wet, swampy areas. 

These Bald Cypress trees are a vital part of the Texas Ecosystem. They provide an essential food source for wild turkeys, wood ducks, and squirrels, and a habitat for many birds such as the bald eagles and sea hawks. The tree also helps trap pollutants and prevent the erosion of our river banks, ensuring the beauty of Caddo State Park. 

The White Oak Tree also supports the ecosystem of Caddo State Park. The White Oak is massive, growing upwards of 100 feet. It also supports the hundreds of species of animals in Caddo State Parks, as it is a key food source for more than 180 different species of animals. The trees in Caddo State Park play a key role in the state park’s ecosystem.

Private Forests

Beyond public forests, Texas wildlife is further supported by the multitude of private forests within Texas. 93%, or 53 million acres of forests within Texas, are privately owned. These forests support a diverse range of birds, butterflies, and reptiles within our state and provide various economic benefits. In 2024 alone, our private forests generated $54.2 billion and provided jobs for over 187,000 people. 

With these benefits, many private forest landowners know how important it is to preserve our trees. In San Jacinto County, Tim and Aileen McGrath, two private landowners, have dedicated themselves to preserving their forest. These two have set aside some of the forest they own for old-growth preservation, helping to protect the trees on their land. Through this action, they help preserve the loblolly and hardwood trees native to their forest and the myriad of animals, such as the white-tailed deer, that live in these forests.

Partnerships surrounding forests help everyone. In Dallas, the county government and Dallas Independent School District (DISD) have come together to provide a natural wonderland for all students through increasing access to the Post Oak Preserve. DISD uses this nature preserve as part of their Environmental Education Center. Here, kids can walk through the many nature trails to feel at peace with the forest surrounding them. Post Oak Preserve holds a substantial diversity of trees, from the persimmon tree, which provides a food source for foxes, opossums, raccoons, deer, and birds, to the Flame Sumac Tree, a tree with bright red foliage in the fall. By allowing DISD to use this forest, Dallas County provides the opportunity for over 20,000 students each year to see firsthand the beauty of our Texas forests. 

Rio Grande Thornforests 

Individuals can also see the beauty of Texas’s forests firsthand by visiting the Rio-Grande Thornforest. Individuals there can see a truly unique collection of trees. In contrast to most forests that grow in areas with moderate to heavy rainfall, thornforests grow in warm temperate regions with little seasonal rain.

The Rio Grande Thornforest is one of the most diverse ecosystems in North America. It is home to  1,200 plant species, 519 bird species, and 316 butterfly species. These animals include the Pygmy Owl, one of the only diurnal(works in the day) owls, and the Ocelot, an excellent hunter with fantastic night vision facilitated by their wide eyes with a band within them that reflects light. 

Despite the Rio Grande Thornforest’s importance in supporting a wide range of animals, it faces major threats due to deforestation. Only 10% of the thornforest’s original range remains because much of our thornforest has been converted into ranch or farmland. This reduction puts many species at risk that rely on the thorn forest for their habitat. 

People, however, have been fighting back to help protect the Rio-Grand Thornforest. The non-profit American Forest has planted over 2 million trees and other plants within the Rio Grande thornforest to help it regrow. In addition, through collaboration with the federal government and non-profits, 14,000 acres of thornscrub have been replenished in the Rio-Grande Valley.

Davis Mountain Preserve

It is not just in the Rio Grande Valley where incredible work is being done to preserve our forests. In Davis Mountain Preserve, an hour north of Alpine, Texas, the Texas Parks Department has been working tirelessly to ensure the health of Texas’s trees. In the early 2010s, Davis Mountain Preserve’s ponderosa pine trees faced numerous challenges as drought, bark beetles, and wildfires had reduced their population by 50 to 75%. Seeing this threat to ponderosa pine Trees, the Texas Parks Department sprang into action and deployed Operation Ponderosa to revitalize the ponderosa pine trees in Davis Mountain Preserve. To reach this goal, Operation Ponderosa engaged in two main projects. First, foresters worked to clear excess brush and thin out the understory within the preserve to prevent potential fuel from piling up, since, left unchecked, it could lead to large wildfires breaking out. Second, the Texas Forest Department planted over 2,500 new seedlings to assist with the growth of new trees. The specific species of seedlings were picked for their ability to reduce drought, insect, and wildfire threats while promoting tree vigor. While less than 25% of the seedlings planted survived due largely to herbivores eating the acorns, this operation still presents a step forward in Texas’s fight to maintain the health of our forests. 

Our Forests

Texas forests are a vital part of our ecosystem. From the pine and oak trees of East Texas to the Harvard Oaks of West Texas, forests help support the entire Texas environment. By being conscientious about these forests in the past, we have saved species from extinction and promoted the reforestation of key ecosystems. Moving toward the future, we must continue our efforts so that the hundreds of plants and animals that call these forests home can step with us into a brighter future.