Houston Wilderness - It's Our Nature!

TOP 10 FACTS ABOUT...
THE PINEY WOODS

1) The Piney Woods is the southwestern-most remnant of what was once a huge contiguous pine forest that ran from East Texas through the southeast all the way to the Appalachian Mountains.
2) In 1933, with the Great Depression destroying the demand for timber, the Texas legislature invited the federal government to establish the Sam Houston National Forest. Through this project, the government conserved 163,000 acres of pineywoods that are now part of the Houston area.
3) The Piney Woods serves as Houston’s top recreational area – campers, anglers, horseback riders and hikers all enjoy this diverse forest.
4) Many species of trees call the Piney Woods home, including loblolly, shortleaf pine and mixed hardwoods.
5) The legendary pine of old growth southern forests is the longleaf pine, which bears large cones and longer leaves than the loblolly.
6) The Lone Star Hiking Trail, one of the many recreational areas in the forest, boasts 128 miles of nature for hikers to enjoy.
7) The red-cockaded woodpecker, a cardinal-sized bird, draws bird watchers from all over the world.
8) The forest gets nourishment from fallen trees that decompose – the fungi provides food for spiders and insects, which are the main food source for birds in the area.
9) On the western lobe of the Sam Houston forest, resident bald eagles nest in the tall pines and soar over the shores of Lake Conroe.
10) In the understory of the forest, blackberries, dewberries, wild plums and persimmons provide food for wildlife.

ABOUT THE PINEY WOODS

Shallow tea-colored creeks wind among dogwoods and pine forest. An insect struggles in the hairy hold of a pitcher plant, soon to be nutrients for a carnivorous plant. A Louisiana pine snake tucks into a pocket gopher cavity as wildfire sweeps the landscape. And a rare red-cockaded woodpecker methodically raps away in search of its next meal.

The Piney Woods of Houston Wilderness -- Starting at the top of the ridges, longleaf pines dominate. This pine grows long and narrow and is typically surrounded by a carpet of grasslands. Wildfires help maintain the longleaf, as well as the open savanna habitat that surrounds it. Because it has a heavy seed, it is not likely to spread too far simply because it is not easily dispersed by the wind.

Further down the ridge and closer to the creeks, loblolly pine, interspersed with shortleaf, dominate. These fast growing pines have a light seed that is easily transported by the wind. But they are a poor match to the wildfires that keep them confined. In the river bottoms and along creek edges, safe from fire, oak and other hardwood species flourish. Along the descent of these ridges, occasional seepage bogs in the longleaf pine sandhills harbor a mix of orchids, insect eating plants, and other rare flora; and scattered rare barren habitats provide a sunny spot in an otherwise green and brown world.

This is what the Piney Woods in the Houston Wilderness area of East Texas historically looked like. Today, the longleaf remains only in remnant stands and the loblolly and shortleaf pine are much more common due to the suppression of wildfires and the over-harvesting of longleaf.

It is here, on these ridges, that the Piney Woods of our area are making their stand; and with the help of many partners, possibly a return to their historic majesty.

To read more about Piney Woods, download our atlas!

KEY LOCATIONS

Martin Dies, Jr. State Park

Located at the edge of the Big Thicket National Preserve, the park is in the heavilyforested area known as the 'East Texas Pineywoods.' The park has numerous creeks, known as sloughs, and cypress, willow, beech, magnolia and sweet bay are common. Each fall the golden hues of beeches are brilliant against the reds of blackgums and oaks, mixed among the evergreen pines. Hiking trails provide excellent opportunities to view wildlife.

Huntsville State Park

This park lies in the piney woods of the Sam Houston National Forest, near the western edge of the Southern Pine Belt. These woodlands, dominated by loblolly and shortleaf pines typical of the East Texas Pine Belt, provide attractive camping and picnic areas and surround scenic Lake Raven. Lake Raven, fed by three major creeks, offers fishing for crappie, perch, catfish, and bass. Hiking trails have been constructed so that wildlife and birds can be observed in a natural setting

Lake Houston Wilderness Park

New Caney became a sawmill and lumbering community when the Houston, East, and West Texas Railroad ran a narrow gauge line through the eastern timberlands to ship the loblolly pine and hardwoods of the area. The intense thickets and canebrakes along the streams also supported bears as well as hunters seeking a cash crop of bear grease.

The park is situated at the confluence of Caney Creek and the East Fork of the San Jacinto River and extends northward to FM 1485.

Lake Livingston State Park

Lake Livingston State Park, in Polk County, four miles southwest of Livingston, contains 635.5 acres of land along Lake Livingston, an 84,800-acre reservoir. It was acquired in 1971 and opened to the public in 1977. It is located near the ghost town of Swartwout, a steamboat landing on the Trinity River in the 1830s and 1850s, and the meeting place of Polk County´s first commissioners court before voters selected Livingston as county seat.

Montgomery County Nature Preserve

The Montgomery County Preserve provides a wonderful area for bird-watching, native plant observation and hiking. Local Master Naturalists as well as Butterfly Enthusiasts of Southeast Texas host official national butterfly counts, monitor water quality, and provide educational programs for area citizens. The Preserve is also a part of the Spring Creek Greenway, a partnership to create a nature preserve along both sides of Spring Creek consisting of 12,000-15,000 acres within the floodplain and floodway.

W. Goodrich Jones State Forest

This forest was purchased in 1926 and named after W. Goodrich Jones, founder of the Texas Forestry Association and the Father of Texas Forestry. The healthy and productive forest that exists today is the result of public stewardship after heavy logging, devastating wildfires and insect epidemics at the turn of the century. The primary purpose of this forest is resource education for all. Sound scientific forest management that protects and perpetuates native flora and fauna is practiced. The Jones Forest is a working forest owned and administered by the Texas Forest Service. The staff offers forest resource education with demonstrations and nature study.

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