Day Trips

Ratcliff Recreation Area (Photo By Gerald E. McLeod)

Texas forests cover more than 10% of the state, yet what remains is a little more than half of what the pioneers found when they arrived in the early 1800s. Massive harvesting between 1880 and 1936 all but obliterated the stands of old-growth pine trees in the eastern portion of the state.

Majestic longleaf yellow pine trees once towered 100 feet tall over the better part of 12 million acres from the Arkansas-Oklahoma border to the Gulf Coast. Texas was the western edge of the great southern forest that arced along the coast and up the eastern seaboard as far north as Virginia. For generations the area helped feed the nation's need for building materials.

In the beginning, logging operations were generally small companies effectively harvesting the most accessible trees. East Texas was a beehive of activity as sawmill towns sprang up between Tyler and Houston like the oil boomtowns did in West Texas.

The remains of Ratcliff, Texas, 16 miles east of Crockett near the northern center of the Davy Crockett National Forest, is a silent testament to the passing of the lumber industry. Before 1900, J.H. Ratcliff operated a small sawmill. At the turn of the century, the pioneer was bought out by the Central Coal and Coke Company of Kansas City, Mo. Within 17 years the company had stripped the land of old-growth longleaf pine trees.

Nothing up until then could compare with the devastation that followed the next generation of loggers. Companies like the Kirby Lumber Company, Temple Lumber Company, and the Wier Longleaf Lumber Company clear cut entire ecosystems and replaced them with tree plantations.

Established in 1918, the Wier company rode steam power to bulldoze through the forest. The company town of Wiergate, 25 miles east of Jasper, was the largest lumber mill in East Texas when it opened. Within 18 years most of the state's stock of longleaf yellow pine had been depleted.

According to historian and writer Thad Sitton, only a 10-acre plot of virgin longleaf survives in a roadside park beside TX 184 west of Hemphill just outside the Sabine National Forest. Nationwide, only about 5% of the original longleaf pine woodlands remain.

During the Great Depression, one of the Civilian Conservation Corps' projects was to re-seed Texas' forests. Unfortunately, most of the seedlings put out were loblolly pine, a softer and faster-growing tree. Biodiversity, along with most of the southern magnolia, black cherry, and white ash trees, was lost.

The state Legislature established the Texas Forest Service as an extension of Texas A&M University in 1915. Organized to help the logging industry, the service obtained 7,300 acres for five state forests between 1925 and 1935. Located outside of Rusk, Conroe, Woodville, Buna, and Kirbyville, the state forests offer a few hiking trails, fishing, and picnic areas, but no overnight camping.

In 1936, President Franklin Roosevelt added the Davy Crockett National Forest to the federal inventory. Soon to follow were the Sam Houston, Sabine, and Angelina national forests. The 1984 East Texas Wilderness Act added five natural areas to bring the total to 635,000 acres of nationally protected forests. Left alone, the forest has been able to regenerate itself. Recreation areas in the national forests offer opportunities to explore and enjoy what once covered the eastern quarter of the state.

Angelina National Forest, southeast of Lufkin, is one of the most diverse natural ecosystems remaining in the state. The 153,179-acre protected area surrounds Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Longleaf pines grow primarily in the southern portion of the forest while loblolly and shortleaf pine dominate in the rest of the forest.

The majority of the eight parks are on the west side of the lake. Caney Creek Park has the largest camping area. Boykin Springs Recreation Area encompasses a 9-acre spring-fed lake. The 5.5-mile Sawmill Hiking Trail leads to Bouton Lake recreation area following an abandoned railroad lane past the old Aldridge Sawmill site.

Campsites on the Angelina River in the national forest are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Outside of Zavalla, the Upland Island Wilderness Area is one of the most diverse ecosystems in the state with national champion specimens of several trees. For information, call the district office at 936/639-8620.

The site of an old sawmill, Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area is the best campground in the Davy Crockett National Forest. The 20-mile Four C National Recreation Trail winds through a diverse forest habitat. No bikes, horses, or off-road vehicles are allowed on the trail. For more information, call 936/655-2299.

The Sam Houston National Forest, southeast of Huntsville, is fragmented around the outer edges with private forestland and small farms. Stubblefield Lake Campground on the upper reaches of Lake Conroe is the most popular camping area in the forest. Double Lake Recreation Area on the eastern side of the forest is smaller, but is close to the Big Creek Scenic Area. The forest has 67 miles of multiuse trails open to horses and bicyclists. For information, call 936/344-6205.

The Sabine National Forest skirts the Louisiana border and Toledo Bend Reservoir. Popular with fishermen, the lake shore is one of the most heavily developed areas in all of Texas' national forests. Whether you choose a private campground or one of the six public campgrounds, there is plenty of scenic territory to explore. The Indian Mounds Wilderness Area east of Hemphill is home to four championship trees plus the largest stand of American Beech and Southern Magnolia remaining in the world. For more information, call 409/787-3870 or go to www.toledo-bend.com. Information on all of the national forests and grasslands in Texas can be accessed at www.r8web.com/texas/.

Coming up this weekend ...

Free Fishing Day when all state parks drop the fishing license requirement to encourage introducing children to the sport, June 2. www.athensvip.org.

Shakespeare in the Park at San Antonio's Maverick Plaza at La Villita. This year's production will be "Twelfth Night," through June 2. 210/226-2891.

Coming up ...

The Promise a re-enactment of the life of Jesus on Friday and Saturday evening in June at the amphitheater in Glen Rose. 254/897-4509.

Texas Dinosaurs takes a look at the prehistoric beasts at the Dallas Museum of Natural History, Fair Park, through Aug. 31. 214/421-3466.