FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 28, 2025
I.D. Fairchild State Forest centennial celebrated
in Cherokee County
PALESTINE, Texas – On April 26,
2025, East Texas landowners gathered at the I.D. Fairchild State Forest in
Cherokee County to commemorate its centennial year.
Saturday’s attendees toured the
state forest to learn about its history, pine management operations, pine
plantation and genetic operations, native grass establishment and turkey and
red-cockaded woodpecker conservation efforts by Texas A&M Forest Service
and cooperator experts.
Texas A&M Forest Service owns
and manages five state forests and two arboretums that serve as working
demonstration forests and educational classrooms that welcome thousands of
visitors every year. State forests also provide opportunities for forest
management and research collaboration with Texas state agencies and natural
resource partners.
“It was essential that we
acknowledged and celebrated the legacy of our state forests and the stewards
who came before us who set the standard for sustainable forest management by
hosting centennial events,” said Jake Donellan, Texas A&M Forest Service
Division Director of Field Operations. “The event at the Fairchild is meant to
not only celebrate the history of this forest but also provide landowners with
the knowledge and resources to manage their land well, which in return supports
Texas’ valuable ecosystems and forest industry.”
The 2,788-acre forest is primarily
made up of shortleaf pine trees, a fire-adapted pine species that supports the ecosystems.
Multiple types of forest management operations are conducted at the Fairchild including
timber harvesting, timber stand improvement, reforestation, prescribed burning,
wildlife habitat improvement and seed production.
This state forest also houses the
red-cockaded woodpecker species which is classified as federally threatened. For
decades, Texas A&M Forest Service biologists and foresters collaborated
with other state agencies and neighboring states to steadily enhance the
health, genetic diversity and protection of this species, leading to its reclassification as a threatened species after 54 years in fall 2024.
“Our primary focus at the Fairchild
is creating the perfect ground for silvicultural and wildlife research studies
and operations,” said Jason Ellis, Texas A&M Forest Service District
Forester. “As a result of our conservation efforts, this forest also serves as
a hands-on classroom for students of all ages, as well as a demonstration site
to nearby landowners who are looking for examples of good forest management.”
The I.D. Fairchild, formerly State
Forest #3, was the third state forest acquired by Texas A&M Forest Service
in 1925. The forest was originally owned and operated by the State Prison
System, which constructed the Mewshaw Mill in 1907, the only state-run sawmill
in Texas.
Staffed by convict labor, the
Mewshaw Mill produced approximately 35,000 board feet of lumber daily, and much
of the harvested timber was transported to the state prison in Rusk and
converted to charcoal to fuel its iron smelter. Transportation of timber from
the mill was enhanced when the state legislature extended the state railroad to
Palestine and through the forest, where it still stands today.
The state forest was transferred to
Texas A&M Forest Service in 1925. From 1933 to 1936, a large Civilian
Conservation Corps camp was located on the main tract of the state forest.
Enrollees constructed a fire lookout tower, roads, fire breaks, a small pond
and bridges on the forest, many of which can still be found today.
On Sept. 11, 1956, State Forest #3
was dedicated and renamed the I.D. Fairchild State Forest, after the late state
representative and senator from Lufkin.
The third and final state forest
centennial event will be held at the E.O. Siecke State Forest in Newton County
in fall 2025.
Learn more about Texas State
Forests and centennial events here: https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/StateForest100.aspx
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Photos: https://agrilife.photoshelter.com/galleries/C00006IDBqXaBYyI/G0000Df8jDfY4UfU/20250426-Fairchild-State-Forest-Centennial-Event
Texas A&M Forest Service Contacts:
Communications Office, newsmedia@tfs.tamu.edu, 979-458-6606