By Tori Brock
Staff Reporter
HUNTSVILLE — Nearly 6,000 of the more than 160,000 acres in the Sam Houston National Forest have trees that are dead or dying because of ongoing drought conditions.
The Sam Houston National Forest has 161,508 acres with 54,153 acres in Walker County, 47,609 acres in Montgomery County and 59,746 acres in San Jacinto County. Ernie Murray, public affairs specialist with the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas, said the drought is the worst its been in 100 years.
“The dead and dying trees are endangering people, structures, roads and power lines,” Murray said. “East Texas is some 30 inches below normal rainfall totals for the year and during the summer, lakes are at historic lows. Combined with temperatures that were above 100 degrees for 56 days, thousands of drought and heat-stressed pines are dying and some are being infested by Ips beetles.”
Murray said the situation has created pockets of dead trees adjacent to residences and right-of-ways and in recreation areas.
“Approximately 5,600 acres of the Sam Houston’s 163,000 acres have pine trees that are either dead or dying because of the drought of 2011,” Murray said. “The largest area, about 3,000 acres, has up to 50 percent tree mortality. This is concentrated along the shoreline of Lake Conroe and along FM 1375.”
A salvage timber sale was completed in the Stubblefield Recreation Area on 33 acres. Other salvage sales are planned for Cagle Recreation Area on 200 acres and Scotts Ridge Recreation Area on 33 acres, Murray said.
Robert Allen, timber management officer for the Sam Houston National Forest, said the recent salvage timber sale was the first of its kind due to drought.
“There have been other times in the last 30 years when drought has contributed to trees being vulnerable to insect and disease attacks which killed them, but this is the first time it has been the primary cause of trees dying in large numbers,” Allen said. “We will be having a number of small timber sales to remove dead and dying trees posing a hazard to the public in our recreational areas. Beyond those areas, we may have additional small commercial timber sales to remove trees posing hazards to the public, but there will be no large scale logging of dead trees in the general forest.”
The National Forest Service is working to protect property boundaries, as well as livestock fences, structures and utility lines. Some areas in danger include Elmore Drive, Lake Paula Road, Paluka Point, Kelly’s Pond, Forest Service Roads 204, 215, 208 and 271, according to Murray.
“The drought is a natural disaster,” Murray said. “There are tens of thousands of dead and dying pines and hardwoods and those numbers will increase. Falling hazard trees, which are mostly snags or dead trees, is a high-risk operation. Exposure to personnel is greatly increased and the potential for accidents increases. Hazard trees along property lines and roads are being cut and left.”
Murray said trees in recreation areas are being cut into firewood. Many recreation areas and hunter camps in the National Forest will be closed for tree removal.
“We’re working hard to correct the damage,” Murray said, “focusing on critical health, safety and access concerns.”
Allen said the vast majority of dead trees will be left in place for insects, plants and wildlife to use them for habitat and food.
“Additionally, they are eventually broken down by all of these to be recycled into the forest floor to provide nutrients to other plants and help form the top layer of soils,” he said.
