With nearly every inch of Texas being privately owned, there are no relationships more important than the ones we have with landowners. The American Tree Farm System, part of the American Forest Foundation, is a network of family forest landowners sustainably managing their forestland. It is the largest and oldest sustainable woodland system in the United States. The tree farm system of private timberland management had its beginning on the West Coast in 1941, when Weyerhaeuser Company used the term “tree farm” as a way of extending the forest management message to the public.
Texas A&M Forest Service adopted the program in Texas in 1944 with the cooperation of the Texas Forestry Association, the Southern Pine Association and the East Texas Chamber of Commerce. The first tree farm was established at Saron Lake in Trinity County where it is still an active Tree Farm today. Currently in Texas, there are nearly 2,400 certified tree farms. This is significant as agencies and individual landowners partner to help keep our forests healthy and productive.
