Longleaf pine forests and savannas

Majestic forests of longleaf pine once covered millions of acres in the southeast-ern United States, including East Texas. The giant longleafs recorded in early photo-graphs towered more than 100 feet high and measured 10 feet or more around the base. Longleaf forests were open and park-like, with an understory of dogwood, post oak, blackjack oak, and pawpaw trees and little undergrowth. The ground under the longleaf pines was thick with tall grasses and many species of wildflowers. Within longleaf stands, deep sand soils and rock outcrops created sandy barrens where spe-cially adapted plants grow, including prickly pear and the rare Texas trailing phlox.

Springs and seeps occur in the sand ridges where longleaf pines grow.

Texas trailing phlox is a rare wildflower that grows in upland longleaf forests.

Only a few stands of longleafs remain. Logging of old-growth longleaf pine forests was mostly complete by the mid-twentieth century. Despite the value of the timber milled from the giant trees, most stands were replanted with faster-growing pine species. More than 95 percent of the original longleaf forest in Texas has been replaced by commercial pines or hardwoods. Only a few stands have been set aside for preservation by public agencies or timber companies. The "Longleaf Ridge" area in Ange-lina and Jasper counties contains some of the best rem-nants of longleaf forest.

Longleaf wetland savannas

Wetland savannas may contain the highest plant diversity of any Texas ecosystem.

In the Big Thicket area of southeast Texas, longleaf pines often grew in wetland savannas or wet grasslands. These communities occur on claypan soils that trap rain water but dry out in summer, creating unique conditions. In wetland savannas, stands of scattered longleafs grow with evergreen shrubs, sedges and grasses, colorful orchids, and carnivorous pitcher plants and sun-dews. These wetland savannas include the highest numbers of plant species measured in any natural community in Texas. Wetland savannas are one of the rarest types of habitat in Texas today. Only a few small fragments have been protected. Many remaining sites are overgrown with brush and have lost much of their diversity. These threatened communities are even more valuable because they often occur with other rare and vanishing habitats, such as baygalls. More efforts are needed to protect these valuable communities through acquisition by conservation groups or co-operation with timber companies and other private landowners. Protection of Village Creek, one of the states longest wild float streams, would also con-serve wetland savannas and a multitude of other other natural communities, includ-ing baygalls, cypress swamps, and beech forests.

Places to see longleaf pine forests: Longleaf Pine Forest in Texas: 5,000 acres Upland Island Wilderness and Longleaf Ridge Special Management Area, Zavalla Lance Rosier Unit of the Big Thicket National Preserve, Sour Lake Original Extent of Longleaf Pine in Texas: 1 million acres