LEARN & EXPLORE

  • Forest Celebration Events

    Join us as we celebrate the landmark of our state forests' centennial year. Celebration events will be held at the W.G. Jones State Forest (Oct. 19), I.D. Fairchild State Forest (April 26, 2025), and E.O. Siecke State Forest (fall, 2025).

    Texas state forests are essential to our ecosystems, communities, and growth in the forestry industry. They are owned and operated by Texas A&M Forest Service and are an experimental ground for forestry practices. When state forest trees reach maturity, they are harvested and sold, and new trees are replanted. Profits made from state forest timber harvests are either reinvested into the forest or presented as scholarships to students across the state.

    State forests have multiple hiking and horse riding trails as well as an outdoor classroom that is open to the public, which attracts thousands of visitors and horseback riders every year.

    Our state forest centennial celebration honors the century of hard work and dedication to the science of forestry that has taken place on our state forests. Family-friendly activities in and around the forests are in store for each event, including wildlife exhibits, forest therapy walks, tree seedling giveaways, and more.

    Join us as we travel across East Texas over the next year to celebrate the ways our state forests benefit us and how we can give back to them.

     + October 19, 2024 - W.G. Jones State Forest Centennial Celebration

    The W.G. Jones State Forest Centennial Celebration is at the forest on Saturday, Oct. 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will feature health and nature exhibits, native animal presentations, emergency response vehicles, games and crafts, and much more.

    Presentation Schedule: 

    9-9:30 a.m. - Unraveling Texas State Forest History

    10-10:30 a.m. - Saving the Red-cockaded woodpecker 

    10:30-11 a.m. - Chikawa Aztec Dance & Traditions

    11-11:30 a.m. Effective Wildfire Management

    12-12:30 p.m. - Protecting Texas Wildlife

    1-1:30 p.m. - The Health Benefits of the Great Outdoors

    The W.G. Jones State Forest is one of the nation's largest working urban forests, and its primary purpose is to be used as an educational resource for students and the community. Efforts to protect the red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW), a federally endangered woodpecker, take place on the forest. RCW thrive in the live pine trees of this state forest. 

     + April 26, 2025 - I.D. Fairchild State Forest Centennial Celebration

    The I.D. Fairchild State Forest Centennial Celebration is on April 26, 2025. 

    The was formerly owned by the State Prison and was home to the only state-operated sawmill before being acquired by Texas A&M Forest Service. The ecosystem of I.D. Fairchild State Forest is incredibly diverse, and youth deer hunts are hosted annually.

     + Fall 2025 - E.O. Siecke State Forest Centennial Celebration

    The E.O. Siecke State Forest Centennial Celebration will be in the fall of 2025. 

    It the first state forest was acquired by Texas A&M Forest Service in 1924, is home to pioneering East Texas forest research. The state forest was also the site of the first fire lookout tower in Texas, which was constructed in 1926 and stood 80 feet tall.