Texas A&M Forest Service is helping restore the threatened, iconic Ponderosa Pine forests of West Texas.
After a myriad of environmental stresses destroyed nearly 75 percent of the majestic Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine population in the Davis Mountains it became evident that reforestation efforts were needed.
“Frankly, it broke my heart to see what was going on out there. It was just hundreds, if not thousands of acres of dead Ponderosa Pine, so I knew after that first visit we had to do something,” said Texas A&M Forest Service Associate Director Bill Oates.
The Davis Mountains in far West Texas contain the southernmost stands of Ponderosa Pine in North America, but environmental stresses, initially a lack of soil moisture from devestating drought and extreme temperatures, coupled with secondary bark beetle invasion, have killed the majority of trees. In addition, wildfires in 2011 burned through some of the most productive stands. Environmental experts predicted that losses would continue if nothing was done.
In 2014, Texas A&M Forest Service partnered with The Nature Conservancy to begin reforestation efforts on the Davis Mountains Preserve. Texas A&M Forest Service foresters assessed 18 stands and made recommendations, including to collect native seed for grow-out reforestation purposes, thin out overpopulated stands and collect baseline data to monitor the recovery process.
From the Texas A&M Forest Service: https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/content/article.aspx?id=26417