On October 2, 2024, the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra (Sierra Club) met with the Texas Conservation Alliance (TCA) and U.S. Forest Service (FS), Angelina/Sabine National Forests, in-the-field, to discuss the proposed Brookeland Thinning Project (BTP).  The proposed BTP includes stands in Compartments 88, 124, 125, and 126 in southern Sabine National Forest (SNF) near Sam Rayburn Reservoir.

We visited several areas where the proposed BTP would occur.  We first visited Compartment 124, Stand 4, south of FM 201.  This is a very large stand.  Some of the vegetation seen included Post Oak, Sweetgum, White Ash, Loblolly Pine, Shortleaf Pine, Black Gum, and Black Hickory.

This site was a part of the uplands in Compartment 124 and in the past, there had been salvage logging after Hurricane Rita in 2005.  There was an archeological crew (contractors) that was nearby doing work for the proposed BTP.  They use aerial photos and lidar to help them search for archeological sites.  Other plants seen included Gulf Muhly, goldenrod/Euthania species, small pea plants, seedling Loblolly and Shortleaf Pines, and Boneset in the groundcover. 

We looked at another part of Stand 4, Compartment 124, that is north of FM 201.  There were white and purple asters, Pink Fuzzybean, Purpletop Grass, Wooly Croton, Common Persimmon, Little Bluestem, Southern Red Oak, Post Oak, White Ash, Shortleaf Pine, Black Gum, Pencil Flower, grape fern species, and goldenrod species in the groundcover or overhead.

TCA pointed out a 1-2-acre pine pole timber area within Stand 4 that had a stream that ran through it.  It was stated that after the streamside management zone was established there wouldn’t be much to log in this area.  The recommendation was that this area not be logged.  The FS said that this area hadn’t been looked at but based on looking at a different area across the road the basal area (BA, a measure of tree density) was about 110 square feet.

There were low BA pine and hardwood areas that surrounded this 1-2-acre pole timber area.  TCA stated that the pine pole timber area was below 90 BA and could be as low as 60-70 BA.  It was stated that this area was borderline operable, and that it wasn’t worth logging.  The FS didn’t state whether it thought the area should be logged.

The FS stated that the timber market was flooded and that costs for a log were $300 but the returns on a log were $260.  Mills are shutting down or getting ready to shut down.

TCA took us to a location in Compartment 126, Stand 10, and showed us some Slash Pine that are to be logged.  We walked the southern part of this stand where there is a large area that is floodplain, with steep slopes, and erodible soils (we saw a stream that was head cutting into the uplands).  We saw Sweetleaf, Southern Wax Mrytle, Red Maple, Black Gum, Sebastion Bush, grape fern species, White Oak, Sweetgum, Witch Hazel, and Partridge Pea in this floodplain area.  TCA and Sierra Club stated that this area shouldn’t be logged, and the FS agreed.

We went to Compartment 124, Stand 1, where there is a lot of hardwood on the southern tip of this stand.  TCA stated this was a border line area and should be dropped from logging.  We found Southern Red Oak, Black Gum, Sebastian Bush, Common Persimmon, Southern Magnolia, Back Cherry, Sweetgum, American Beautyberry, blueberry species, and Shortleaf and Loblolly Pines.  This was an open woods area with heavy clay, high shrink-swell, mesic soil.

We then went to Compartment 125, which is a stream terrace/depression area.  TCA stated that this entire compartment shouldn’t be logged.  There is no indication that fire has occurred in the area and there are a lot of hardwoods growing in the terrace/depression areas with little pine BA.  There is no need to log here.

Logging would cause a lot of damage to soil.  Some of the plants we saw included American Holly, Blue Mistflower, Sweetgum, Southern Magnolia, Loblolly Pine, Water Oak, Yellow Passion Vine, Red Maple, Cherry Laurel, Laurel Oak, Poison Ivy, Devil’s Walking Stick, and non-native English Ivy.  The FS didn’t give an opinion about what should be done here.

The Sierra Club and TCA continue to urge the FS not to log floodplain, lower slope, terrace/depression, steep slope, and erodible soil areas.