History of the forestry movement in Texas, 1900-1950

Date

1972

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Abstract

Early travelers through eastern Texas extolled the beauty and economic possibilities of the area's magnificent virgin forest, then virtually untouched by human hands. As widespread settlement began, however, indiscriminate cutting and annual burnings by settlers and destructive logging methods of the lumber industry plagued forested lands. By the turn of the century, lands once covered by stately pines attracted attention, not for their beauty, but for the ugliness of blackened tree stumps, uprooted seedlings, and the slash and debris of logging operations covering them. Subsequently, a few concerned citizens stepped forward to protest the depletion of the state's valuable East Texas timber belt. Led by W. Goodrich Jones, this vocal group of conservationists quickly began the presentation of their case before the public. Through agitation for an Arbor Day, the convening of conservation congresses, and letter writing campaigns to the news media, they attempted to educate citizens to the need for forest protection and replenishment. By 1914 these activities apparently had achieved some success, and the time seemed ripe for the presentation of a bill before the legislature creating a Department of Forestry. To lobby for the bill and forestry in general, concerned Texans formed the Texas Forestry Association. Largely because of their efforts and the support of the state's large newspapers, the bill passed, but only by a slim margin. This afforded an early indication that serious problems would beset the department. Within a short time, uninformed legislators, concerned with trimming the state's budget, cut the forestry department's appropriations. Only after Jones and his colleagues brought strong pressure to bear on the legislative finance committee did the legislature reinstate forestry in the budget. For the next ten years the agency continued to suffer from an acute shortage of funds. This financial deficiency forced foresters to center fire protection activities around an educational campaign and prevented the control or suppression of any but the smallest fires. Despite this handicap, the department optimistically proceeded with its work and in so doing encouraged the public and their representatives to take note of the forestry movement and to expend more funds for it. Early in the 1920's, State Forester Eric O. Siecke worked in conjunction with the Texas Forestry Association to attempt passage of a more comprehensive forestry bill. Because of the lumber industry's opposition to a proposed severance tax, none of the forestry measures which the organization placed before the legislature in 1921 passed. Conservationists, however, did not dishearten, and two years later achieved significant success. Equipped with funds for two state forests, two new fire regulation laws, and increased expenditures for fire protection afforded by the Thirty-eighth Legislature, the department could more actively pursue an efficient forestry program. Agitation for further forestry work did not end with these achievements. Forest protection still suffered from insufficient appropriations and private cooperation with the Texas Forest Service lagged. The development of protection units in 1927 to facilitate joint forest protection and management by the state and private parties, as provided for under the federal Clarke-McNary Act, gradually ameliorated this situation. Construction and fire fighting activities by participants in the Civilian Conservation Corps also advanced forestry ten years in the state. In addition, the creation of national and community forests in the late 1930's and early 1940's contributed to the success of the forestry movement. The culmination of forty years of forestry activities came with the inception of a Tree Farm System in 1943 and further perfection of the fire fighting system through the use of aerial patrol and mechanized equipment throughout the 1940's. Both accomplishments represented major goals which conservationists at the turn of the century proposed in hopes of effecting the efficient protection and replenishment of Texas's forest wealth. As a half-century of forest conservation activities closed, the Texas Forest Service, operating as the spearhead of the forestry movement, looked ahead to the prospect of further advancement of practical forestry for years to come. A comprehensive study of the forestry movement in Texas would not have been complete without the examination of several significant primary sources. The lumber trade journal, the Gulf Coast Lumberman, chronicled forestry activities in bi-monthly reports and presented a good picture of the lumber industry's response to forest conservation. The papers of W. Goodrich Jones, at Stephen F. Austin University, and John Henry Kirby, at the University of Houston, provided insight into the attitudes of conservationists and lumbermen and helped make the study more personal. Publications of the Texas Forest Service from its inception in 1915 to 1950 offered invaluable assistance in developing the story of forestry's progress and failures in the period.

Description

Keywords

History, Texas, Forests and forestry, Twentieth century

Citation