East Texas, 2011Forest Inventory &

Analysis Factsheet

U.S. Department of Agriculture

e-Science Update SRS—052May 2012

Forest ServiceSouthern Research Station

Jason A. Cooper and James W. Bentley

www.srs.fs.usda.gov

1Issue—

May 2012

F I A

The Nation’s Forest Census

Forested Area

Total forest area amounted to 12.1 million acres in 2011 and occupied 56 percent of the land area in east Texas. Nearly 12.0 million acres, or 99 percent, of the forest land is considered timberland. The area of forest land in east Texas has remained relatively stable since 1992 (table 1).

Introduction

This science update summarizes the findings of the annual inventory conducted by the Southern Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program in cooperation with the Texas Forest Service of the forest resource attributes in east Texas. The 254 counties of Texas are consolidated into 7 FIA survey units—southeast (unit 1), northeast (unit 2), north central (unit 3), south (unit 4), west central (unit 5), northwest (unit 6), and west (unit 7). East Texas is made up of units 1 and 2 with a total of 43 counties, while the central and west Texas consists of units 3 thru 7 (fig. 1). This overview represents the 2007-11 moving average for east Texas provided by a remeasurement of annual inventory plots.

Figure 1—Survey units of east and central/west Texas, 2011.

Central/West

East

North Central

Northwest

West Central

West

South

Southeast

Northeast

Table 1—Area by land class and survey year, east Texas

Land class 1992 2003 2008 2011million acres

Forest landTimberland 11.77 11.66 11.96 11.93Other/reserved 0.17 0.21 0.16 0.13

Total forest land 11.94 11.86 12.13 12.06

Nonforest land 9.65 9.59 9.35 9.38

Total land area 21.59 21.46 21.48 21.44

Percent forested 55 55 56 56

Numbers in columns may not sum to totals due to rounding.

Maples at Ratcliff Lake, Houston County, TX. (photo by Ron Billings, Texas Forest Service)

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Forest-Type Composition

Hardwood timber types comprise the majority of timberland area in east Texas, accounting for 6.5 million acres (fig. 4). Softwood forest types occupy 5.3 million acres of east Texas’ timberland area. Loblolly-shortleaf pine is the most abundant forest-type group with 5.1 million acres and comprises the majority (96 percent) of all softwood forest-types. East Texas’ softwood timberland area is split nearly equally between natural pine stands (2.6 million acres) and planted pine stands (2.7 million acres). Oak-hickory is the predominant hardwood forest-type group with 2.8 million acres, followed by oak-pine (1.5 million acres) and oak-gum-cypress (1.4 million acres).

Figure 2—Timberland area by ownership class, east Texas, 2011.

11.93 million acres

Nonindustrial private

52%

National forest

6% Other public3%

Forest industry6%

Other corporate

33%

Forest Ownership

Nonindustrial private landowners control the majority (52 percent) of east Texas’ 12.0 million acres of timberland. Another 33 percent is controlled by private corporations, while forest industry controls 6 percent of the timberland. Only 9 percent of east Texas’ timberland is publicly owned and includes national forest lands, other Federal land, State, and local lands (fig. 2). East Texas has undergone major shifts in ownership over the past decade, primarily a transfer of land from forest industry to other corporate owners (fig. 3). Forest industry ownership has seen a sharp decline (77 percent) in the past decade from 3.4 million acres in 2003 to 769,200 acres in 2011. During that same time other corporate ownership has shown more than a threefold increase from 1.2 to 4.0 million acres. National forest and other public ownership as well as nonindustrial private ownership has been stable during the last decade.

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Figure 3—Area of timberland by ownership class and survey year, east Texas, 2011.

Ownership class

Unthinned loblolly pine, Montogomery County, TX. (photo by Ron Billings, Texas Forest Service)

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Inventory Volume

Total all-live volume on timberland was 17.5 billion cubic feet, remaining relatively stable since the 2008 survey (fig. 5). All-live volume in softwood species amounted to 9.6 billion cubic feet, while hardwood species totaled 8.0 billion cubic feet. Loblolly-shortleaf pine forest-type group accounted for 9.3 billion cubic feet (93 percent) of the all-live softwood volume. Since 2008, volume for forest industry has decreased from 4.5 billion cubic feet to 971,000 cubic feet in 2011 (fig. 6). During this same time, volume for nonindustrial private ownership increased from 10.1 to 13.7 billion cubic feet.

All-live volume of softwoods has increased in nearly all diameter classes since 2008, with the largest increases occurring in the 7.0- to 8.9- and 9.0- to 10.9-inch classes (fig. 7). Volume by 2-inch diameter class shows the majority (60 percent) is centered within the 7.0- to 16.9-inch diameter classes. All-live volume of hardwoods by diameter classes has remained fairly stable since 2003 (fig. 8).

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Ownership class

Figure 6—Net volume on timberland by ownership class and survey year, east Texas.

Figure 7—Softwood volume by diameter class and survey year on timberland, east Texas.

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Diameter class (inches at d.b.h.)

1992 2003 2008 2011

Figure 8—Hardwood volume by diameter class and survey year on timberland, east Texas.

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5.0–6.9

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Diameter class (inches at d.b.h.)

Figure 4—Timberland area by major forest-type groups, east Texas, 2011.

11.93 million acres

Oak-hickory

23%

Oak-gum-cypress12%

Elm-ash-cottonwood5%

Nonstocked1%

Other hardwood2%

Planted pine23%

Natural pine22%

Oak-pine 12%

Figure 5—Net volume of live trees on timberland by species group and survey year, east Texas.

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1975 1986 1992 2003 2008 2011

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Survey year

SoftwoodHardwoodTotal

East Texas, 2011

4Issue—

May 2012

Annual Growth, Removals, and Mortality

In 2011, total average annual net growth for all-live trees on timberland was 750.1 million cubic feet (fig. 9). Total annual removals for all-live trees on timberland were 645.9 million cubic feet per year, while mortality averaged 260.8 million cubic feet per year. Average annual net growth for all-live softwood species on timberland averaged 621.8 million cubic feet per year, a decrease of 4 percent since 2008. Average annual softwood removals was 490.7 million cubic feet per year, a decline of 10 percent since 2008, while average annual softwood mortality was 92.0 million cubic feet per year showing a 25-percent increase during the same timeframe. Average annual net growth for hardwood species averaged 128.3 million cubic feet per year, a 60-percent decrease since 2008. Average annual removals of hardwood species decreased 16 percent from the 2008 data to 155.2 million cubic feet per year. Average annual hardwood mortality on the other hand increased more than twofold to 168.8 million cubic feet per year since 2008.

Average annual net growth for all ownership groups has declined 23 percent since 2008, with forest industry showing the largest decline from 215.4 million cubic feet per year in 2008 to 64.4 million cubic feet per year in 2011 (fig. 10). The

Longleaf pine, Newton County, TX. (photo by Ron Billings, Texas Forest Service)

Figure 9—Average annual net growth, removals, and mortality for all-live trees on timberland by survey year, east Texas.

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Softwood net growthHardwood net growthSoftwood removals

Hardwood removalsSoftwood mortalityHardwood mortality

Survey year

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Figure 10—Average annual net growth for all-live trees on timberland by ownership class and survey year, east Texas.

Ownership class

Chris Brown, FIA CoordinatorTexas Forest ServiceJohn B. Connally Bldg.301 Tarrow, Suite 364College Station, TX 77840Phone: 979-458-6666 / Fax: 979-458-6633Email: cbrown@tfs.tamu.eduhttp://www.texasforestservice.tamu.edu

Contact Information

The Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is dedicated to the principle of multiple use management of the Nation’s forest resources for sustained yields of wood, water, forage, wildlife, and recreation. Through forestry research, cooperation with the States and private forest owners, and management of the National Forests and National Grasslands, it strives—as directed by Congress—to provide increasingly greater service to a growing Nation.

The USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250–9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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James W. Bentley, ForesterForest Inventory and AnalysisSouthern Research Station, USDA Forest Service4700 Old Kingston PikeKnoxville, TN 37919Phone: 865-862-2056 / Fax: 865-862-0262 Email: jbentley@fs.fed.usSouthern FIA: http://srsfia2.fs.fed.usNational FIA: http://fia.fs.fed.us

Chinese tallowtree in Houston County, TX. (photo by Ron Billings, Texas Forest Service)

How to Cite This PublicationCooper, Jason A.; Bentley, James W. 2012. East Texas, 2011 forest

inventory and analysis factsheet. e-Science Update SRS–052. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 5 p.

You may request additional copies of this publication by email at pubrequest@fs.fed.us

How do you rate this publication? Scan this code to submit your feedback or go to www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubeval

decline in growth is not due to growth issues, but rather a large change in ownership in the past decade from forest industry to nonindustrial ownership. Average annual net growth for nonindustrial ownership has shown a decline from 653.7 million cubic feet per year in 2008 to 628.0 million cubic feet per year in 2011, but has shown a 31-percent increase from 431.8 million cubic feet per year in 2003 to 628.0 million cubic feet per year in 2011.

Average annual removals have decreased 11 percent for all ownership classes from 733.1 million cubic feet per year in 2008 to 645.9 million cubic feet per year in 2011 (fig. 11). During that time period forest industry showed the largest decline from 215.1 million cubic feet per year in 2008 to 89.6 million cubic feet per year in 2011. All ownership classes have shown increases in annual mortality from 2008 to 2011 except forest industry (fig. 12). Nonindustrial private ownership accounted for the largest increase in annual mortality from 100.6 million cubic feet per year in 2008 to 210.0 million cubic feet per year in 2011 (fig. 12). The largest changes in growth, removals, and mortality were due to ownership shifts from forest industry to nonindustrial private ownership.

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2003 2008 2011

Figure 11—Average annual removals of live trees on timberland by ownership class and survey year, east Texas.

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Figure 12—Average annual mortality for all-live trees on timberland by ownership class and survey year, east Texas.

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2003 2008 2011