On August 1, 2024, the Houston Sierra Club (HSC) visited Compartment 54, in Sam Houston National Forest (SHNF). This was done to view an area the U.S. Forest Service (FS) wants to mulch. The Sierra Club wanted to provide input to the FS about the effects that mulching could have and suggest ways to make that proposal greener.
The Sierra Club walked most of Forest Road (FR) 243 and part of the Lone Star Hiking Trail (LSHT) that goes east and north between FR 243 and the very northern and eastern part of FR 243, where the LSHT again crosses this road.
This was the first opportunity that the Sierra Club had to visit Compartment 54, since the derecho, a rainy June/July, and Hurricane Beryl. This article is a summary of what we saw during our visit.
When you walk north from the gate on FR 243, at FM 1374, within about one-quarter mile, on FR 243, on the right side (east), there is an upland hardwood inclusion. This inclusion has large Sweetgum, Winged Elm, Water Oak, and other hardwood trees. The Sierra Club requested from the FS that this upland hardwood inclusion not be mulched so that it will provide wildlife habitat, a diversity of tree vegetation, a diversity of tree structure, and heterogeneity for the landscape.
The Sierra Club walked on the LSHT, north and east, from FR 243, and found several areas where there were small Dwarf Palmetto inclusions. The Sierra Club requested from the FS that these Dwarf Palmetto inclusions not be mulched because they provide wildlife habitat, a diversity of vegetation, a diversity of vegetative structure, and heterogeneity for the landscape.
As the Sierra Club walked on the LSHT, north and east, from FR 243 and noticed at several places that the LSHT had captured run-off from the forest. This was causing erosion on the LSHT, creating a new stream channel, and exposing tree roots which make hiking the LSHT difficult and potentially dangerous (tripping and falling). The Sierra Club recommended that the FS, as part of this mulching proposal or otherwise, conduct erosion work on the LSHT so that it doesn’t continue to capture run-off water or create a new eroded ephemeral channel.
The Sierra Club walked on the LSHT, north and east, from FR 243, and found that the LSHT crossed an ephemeral stream three times in 50 yards. The Sierra Club recommended to the FS that a short reroute of the LSHT would be appropriate here so there is only one stream crossing. This would, over the long-term, reduce erosion and sedimentation of this ephemeral stream into Maple Branch.
The Sierra Club saw or heard White-tailed deer, North Cardinal, American Crow, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, several butterflies and dragonflies, and a Brown Snake (Decay’s Snake) in Compartment 54.
The Sierra Club found several non-native invasive plants in Compartment 54. Mimosa was one of these plants and was found along FR 243. The Sierra Club recommended that these plants be treated soon so they don’t spread further in Compartment 54.
Many flowers were blooming in Compartment 54 including Elegant Gayfeather (Liatris elegans), Prairie Gayfeather (Liatris pycnostachya), Boneset, Bitter weed, Brown-eyed Susan, aster species, Pleat-leaf Iris, Elephant-foot, yellow flax, Wooly Croton, Mountain Mint, Pencil flower, Yellow Passion Vine, dayflower, St. Andrew’s Cross, Frost weed, Blue mistflower, Flowering spurge, Texas star-grass, Rough bottom weed (Dio diateres), Self-heal, Tropic croton (Croton glandulosus), Rust weed (Polypremum procumbens), Giant ironweed Veronia gigantea), Columbian waxweed (Cuphea carthagenensis), and others.
Where the LSHT crosses FR 243, for the second time, near the extreme eastern and northern end of FR 243, part of the road is eroding via a head-cut. This part of FR 243 needs to be repaired or the road will continue to degrade and erosion will get much worse over time.
Some of the upland trees and shrubs that the Sierra Club saw included Southern red oak, Post oak, Sweetgum, Loblolly Pine, Shortleaf Pine, Winged Elm, Dwarf Palmetto, Common Persimmon, Black Gum, Parsley Hawthorn, Southern wax myrtle, Yaupon holly, Red Mulberry, Carolina Buckthorn, American Beautyberry, and Sassafras.
The HSC submitted this information to the FS via email on August 8, 2024. The Sierra Club will continue to follow the planning and implementation of this proposed FS project in Compartments 52, 54, and 68.
Photo by Brandt Mannchen