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DIKE, Texas -– Dike Volunteer Fire Department replaced a 1976 brush truck with a new custom-build fireapparatus thanks to a cost-share grant through the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program. The truck has a 300-gallon water tank and a lot of storage area for wildland tools. “The primary mission of this new truck will be […]

[Jump straight to the maps] This month’s map is a follow up to the shortleaf pine maps from November and depicts the prevalence of longleaf pine in East Texas. I used Forest Inventory and Analysis data to compute the percent basal area of longleaf pine, for trees 5” in diameter and above, on each plot at the […]

West Volunteer Fire Department accepted a $9,000 cost share grant to help purchase aspecialized washer-extractor that will help maintain their Personal Protective Gear (PPE) or turnout gear. Thegrant was awarded through the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program administered by TexasA&M Forest Service. Firefighters put their own safety on the line all the time to […]

Lampasas Volunteer Fire Department added a forcible entry door to their training toolsthanks to a grant through the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program. “This new training aid will allow our department to simulate any type of door,” said Lampasas VFD Fire ChiefJeff Smith. “The difficulty of the entry can be adjusted for the type […]

Texas A&M Forest Service’s Gretchen Riley received the 2020 Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellence for Public Service in Forestry today.

Texas A&M Forest Service has been a guardian of the state’s natural resources for over 100 years, but not everyone realizes that they have a law enforcement department to help protect and serve.

Forestry officials from Texas A&M Forest Service have scheduled demolition for buildings and facilities remaining at the agency’s vacated Lufkin location on S First Street.

Increased wildfire potential is expected across much of the state early this week due to approaching dry cold fronts and high temperatures.

You may not immediately think “Texas” when you hear something about Christmas tree farms, but the Christmas tree industry is alive and well (and growing!) in our state. The Texas Christmas Tree Growers Association maintains information on member farms and makes it available on their website. This month’s map was made from that information. I grabbed the tree […]

BURTON, Texas – Burton Volunteer Fire Department converted a 2.5-ton military Stewart Stevenson truckinto a firefighting apparatus. The department also accepted a slip-on unit grant through the Rural Volunteer FireDepartment Assistance Program to help with the conversion. The truck is an excess military vehicle from theDepartment of Defense Firefighter Property Program (DOD FFP). Both programs […]