Sept. 21, 2011 — COLLEGE STATION, Texas — East Texas is
deeply rooted in the timber industry — and during the last 10 months, wildfires
have wiped out more than $97 million worth of the region’s trees.
Since
wildfire season began on Nov. 15, 2010, firefighters have responded in East
Texas to 2,151 wildfires that charred 207,763 acres and destroyed 175 million
cubic feet of timber, according to Texas Forest Service economists and analysts.
The value of all those trees as they stood in the forest — a figure also known
as stumpage value — was $97 million.
The total volume of all that timber
could have produced $1.6 billion worth of different forest products — such as
homes, furniture and paper — and would have resulted in a $3.4 billion total
economic impact in East Texas.
“Along with the heavy toll on people and
property, these fires have significantly damaged the forestland — and the forest
sector as a whole — in East Texas,” said Chris Edgar, a forest resource analyst
with Texas Forest Service. “It’s a tremendous loss for the East Texas timber
industry.”
The devastation isn’t just financial. It’s also ecological.
Edgar said the wildfires ultimately could alter the forest’s ability to perform
essential functions like sequestering carbon from the atmosphere, providing
clean water, preventing soil erosion and providing habitat for wildlife.
Texas Forest Service economists and analysts have been studying wildfires
that raged through East Texas earlier this month. Below are their findings.
Bear Creek Fire
The largest wildfire in East Texas history, the
Bear Creek Fire burned for almost two weeks earlier this month, scorching 40,979
acres and destroying 66 homes in Cass and Marion counties. The wildfire also
charred 17.3million cubic feet of timber, which had a stumpage value of
$8.8 million. That volume of timber could have produced $159 million worth of
forest products, which would’ve spurred $349 million in economic activity in
East Texas.
In 2007, forest industries funneled $427 million into the
economy in Cass and Marion counties while employing 1,330 people with a payroll
of $72 million.
Angelina River Bottom Fire
The Angelina River
Bottom Fire burned for almost a week earlier this month, charring 6,554 acres in
Nacogdoches and Cherokee counties. The wildfire destroyed 2.9 million cubic feet
of timber, which had a stumpage value of $1.5 million. That volume of timber
could have produced $27 million worth of forest products, which would’ve spurred
$59 million in economic activity in East Texas.
In 2007, forest
industries funneled $409 million into the economy in Nacogdoches and Cherokee
counties while employing 1,990 people with a payroll of $71 million.
Riley Road Fire
The Riley Road Fire burned for almost two weeks
earlier this month, charring 18,960 acres and destroying 73 homes in Grimes,
Waller and Montgomery counties. The wildfire also charred 20.8 million cubic
feet of timber, which had a stumpage value of $12.8 million. That volume could
have produced $191 million worth of forest products, which would've have spurred
$420 million in economic activity in East Texas.
In 2007, forest
industries funneled $116 million into the economy in Grimes, Waller and
Montgomery counties while employing 550 people with a payroll of $24
million.
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Contact:
Texas Forest Service
Communications
979-458-6606, newsmedia@tfs.tamu.edu