There are different programs within TFS’s two divisions: the Forest Resource Development Division and Sustainable Forestry, and the Forest Resource Protection division. The programs within these two divisions include:
1) East Texas Program Delivery – This program includes field office operations which provide for implementation of various activities. These activities include landowner assistance, district level emergency response, community forestry, and outreach.
Landowner assistance is provided via technical expertise, education, and consultation from TFS staff to maintain forests on a long-term basis on private property. This includes the ability to diagnose and recommend about tree/forest pests, wildfire hazards and mitigation, timber theft, forestry vendor, consultant, and arborist lists, consultations about the development of forest management plans, and cost share programs.
Emergency response includes local response to wildfires and non-fire emergencies, fire prevention campaigns, training and equipping local fire-fighters, recruiting and retaining seasonal fire-fighters, burn ban decisions, and the maintenance of relationships with fire-fighting organizations.
Community forestry activities include tree planting projects, development of urban forestry policies, National Arbor Day actions, and consultations with homeowners and neighborhoods about tree health and maintenance.
Outreach activities include working with county forest landowner associations, providing news articles and releases about forestry, presentations to civic groups, and school programs about forests.
2) West Texas Program Delivery and West Texas Nursery – Texas has one of the worst soil erosion problems in the nation. This program promotes agro-forestry and forestry-based “windbreaks” to reduce wind and water soil erosion. The program provides assistance for urban and community forestry programs in the High Plains region. The West Texas Nursery is located within this program.
3) Tree Improvement Program and Western Gulf Forest Tree Improvement Cooperative – This program deals with tree breeding for reforestation, Christmas tree (Virginia Pine) production, and urban plantings. Field tests are done for tree adaptation, disease resistance, stem quality, and growth rate and then seedlings are sold to landowners via private nurseries. The state forestry agencies of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas and seven commercial businesses produce 300 million seedlings and reforest 500,000 acres per year. Genetic improvement of southern pines has occurred in this program and an Urban Tree Improvement Program tests native trees for use in Texas cities.
4) Sustainable Forestry Program – This program includes the Forest Inventory and Analysis, Ecosystem Services, Water Resources, Forest Taxation, and Forest Economics and Resource Analysis Programs.
Forest Inventory and Analysis Program – This program provides objective and scientifically credible information about growth, extent, composition, and mortality of state forests and woodlands. This program works with the U.S. Forest Service’s Southern Research Station. Twenty-nine thousand vegetation plots are measured every 5 years in 43 counties in East Texas and every 10 years in 211 Central and West Texas Counties.
Ecosystem Service Program – This program, via research and analysis, determines marketable value for forest benefits like clean air, clean water, wildlife habitat, flood control, and aesthetics. Wetland and stream mitigation banks occurred due to this research. There is interest in carbon credit exchanges. TFS is the first and only state forestry agency that was approved as an authorized verifier for the Chicago Climate Exchange.
Water Resources Program – The goal of this program is to protect, maintain, and enhance the quality of state water resources. Science based, non-regulatory, conservation measures called “best management practices (BMPs)” are developed. A “Texas Forestry Best Management Practices Handbook” has been prepared. Monitoring of BMP implementation is conducted on private properties that are logged if the landowner allows access. Logger training for BMPs and workshops on the Sustainable Forestry Initiative have been held for private landowners.
Forest Taxation Program – This program provides an official source of data for timberland valuation which is required by the Texas Tax Code. Information includes stumpage prices, timberland management costs, and timber growth data for the Property Tax Assistance Division of the State Comptroller’s Office of Public Accounts so that timberland appraised value for the annual Property Value Study is determined.
This program assists with the designation of qualified timberland as “Aesthetic Management Zones – Special or Unique” and in the issuance of determination letters of restricted-use forest zone applications requested from District Chief Appraisers and taxing units. The program provides assistance for administrative rules and training on forest zone determination via the Tax Code. The Program also monitors timberland tax appraisals, conducts timberland property tax research and seminars, federal income tax seminars, and provides assistance to the general public on timber tax issues.
Forest Economics and Resource Analysis Program – This program provides in-depth resource and economic analysis for the forest sector in Texas and the development of forest-based markets and methods to utilize woody resources. This program works with local economic development professionals, forest products industries, and landowners on economic development initiatives which expand current and attract new businesses that use forest resources.
5) Urban Forestry and Community Forestry Program – The goal of this program is to help communities develop sustainable urban forestry and tree care programs.
6) Forest Health Program and Forest Pest Management Cooperative Program – This program is responsible for the maintenance of rural and urban forest and woodland health in Texas. This program includes southern pine beetles, oak wilt and all forest pests. Management options for insect and disease pest control are offered via applied research and technology transfer. Monitoring of forest pest activity is conducted on non-federal forest lands.
7) Stewardship Programs – This program contains the Rural Forestry Assistance and Forest Stewardship, Forest Legacy, Conservation Education, and State Lands Management Programs.
Rural Forestry Assistance and Forest Stewardship Program – This program provides technical assistance to private forest landowners. It encourages active, long-term, forest management. The focus is assistance for private landowners for the preparation of comprehensive, multi-resource, management plans. Landowners are recognized as “Certified Forest Stewards”, can enroll in Red-cockaded Woodpecker “Safe Harbor” agreements, and staff work with county forest landowner associations.
Forest Legacy Program – This is a federal program that partners with states to protect environmentally sensitive forestlands. This program is voluntary and encourages private landowners to provide conservation easements that restrict development, require sustainable forestry practices, and protect other values. These forests can be managed or protected due to important natural features. A multi-resource management plan is a requirement of the conservation easement. The federal government can pay up to 75% of project costs while 25% of the costs come from private, state, or local sources.
Conservation Education Program – This program focuses on education and outreach for underserved populations, new types of forest landowners, and youth.
State Lands Management Program – The goal of this program is to oversee TFS owned and managed lands. This includes 7,314 acres in five state forests which show landowners and visitors what sustainable forest management practices are. Red-cockaded Woodpecker management and recreational use can occur on these state forests. This program also includes sixteen tracts of land (5,754 acres) owned by the Texas General Land Office (GLO) that TFS manages for GLO. These GLO lands are managed to provide revenue for the Texas Permanent School Fund.
Forest Resource Protection Division Programs
Wildfire and Public Safety Programs
1) Predictive Services Program – The TFS analyzes weather conditions, wildfire occurrence, and presence of vegetative fuels throughout the year so that there is a real-time assessment of wildfire risk on the state, regional, and local levels available.
2) Mitigation and Prevention Program – This program’s goal is to mitigate, prevent, and reduce hazardous conditions which will result in lower wildfire risk. TFS works to prevent wildfires based upon human behavior that occurs outside of a person’s home. TFS teaches people how to make their homes and property safe from wildfire via “Firewise” and “Firewise Communities” programs and encourages the preparation of Ready Set Go personal wildfire preparedness plans. TFS also reduces fuels to mitigate wildfire risk via methods like mechanical treatments (logging) and prescribed burning. This program helps with the preparation of Community Wildfire Protection Plans. The program also has wildfire prevention programs based on education and that includes children. There is an “Emerging Communities Initiative” which focus on small communities with high growth rates that will have potential wildfire problems in the future.
3) Planning and Preparedness Program – This program works with other agencies to implement the “Texas Wildfire Protection Plan” when actual fires occur. In addition, the TFS is involved with the “State Emergency Management Plan” which deals with all-hazard emergencies including hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and other domestic incidents. TFS has an Emergency Operations Center for fire and other emergency operations.
4) Local Capacity Building Program – The goal of this program is to increase fire protection capabilities at the local and community level because these entities are often the first to arrive when wildfires begin. Excess equipment that is used to fight fires, federal grants to increase fire-fighting capacity, training, and protective clothing can be obtained through TFS.
5) Incident Response Program – TFS runs the “Incident Command System” in Texas to suppress fires and deal with other emergencies like oil spills, hurricanes, floods, etc. This system allows for the coordination and management of personnel, equipment, facilities, and communications when fire or other emergencies occur at incident sites.
6) Law Enforcement Program – TFS has a law enforcement presence via peace officers that work on (misdemeanor and felony) wildfire arson investigations, training, arson tracking dogs, arson hotline, timber theft hotline, and search and rescue tracking.
As can be seen, the Texas Forest Service has a wide array of issues that it must deal with. Citizens would do well to contact TFS, learn about how it helps private landowners and citizens, and determine what can be done to protect forest resources in Texas.