364 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



scrub-oak woodland was 110 times that from a comparable unburned 

 area. In the light of these studies it would seem that similar forest 

 in the west Gulf Basin would exercise a like influence. 



Of the total forest area of some 37 million acres, about 3 million 

 acres is classed as exerting a major influence on watersheds (fig. 6). 

 In east Texas the highly protective forests consist of rather well- 

 stocked stands made up mostly of shortleaf pine and mixed oaks and 

 other hardwoods. They occur on hilly portions of the upper coastal 

 plain where the heavy and rather erosive clay soils and hilly topog- 

 raphy tend to limit the absorption of rainfall and make for a high 

 run-off ratio. Approximately 2 million acres of this protection class 

 occurs in the Sabine and Trinity drainages. In west Texas the forest 

 exerting a major protection influence is the sparse woodland largely 

 in the Breaks region where a cover is essential to stable soils and to 

 decreased flood run-off. It is felt that if more were known of this 

 region, a much larger area would be classed as having a major 

 influence. 



Roughly, 21 million acres of forest are classed as having a moderate 

 influence on watersheds. This class includes not only the well- 

 stocked stands of pine-hardwoods in the coastal plain portion of the 

 Trinity and Sabine drainages but also the more extensive scrub oak 

 forests of central Texas. 



About 11 million acres of forest in regions of mild topography 

 where the soils are little subject to erosion and surface drainage is not 

 excessive are classed as having only a slight influence on watersheds. 

 They occur in the lower portions of the main drainages, i.e., in the 

 interior flatwoods, coastal prairies, and the more level portions of the 

 upper coastal plain. Another 2 million acres of forest located on 

 alluvial bottom lands are classed as having no influence on watersheds, 

 though some of them are beneficial in holding the stream banks against 

 erosion. 



WATERSHED NEEDS 



In general, watershed conditions throughout the West Gulf Basin 

 are far from satisfactory. The prevalence of floods, the inadequacy 

 of water supplies in certain sections, and the extent of erosion all 

 indicate that present vegetative cover is not adequate. The forests 

 are too open, litter is absent, the forest is returning but slowly to 

 denuded lands, and the ground coverts badly depleted. 



Of the forestry measures aimed at improving watershed conditions 

 it appears probable that the establishment of new forests will play a 

 minor part. The data collected by the Forest Service in 1932 indicate 

 that of approximately 2,775,000 acres of abandoned fields in the 

 eastern half of the region where climatic conditions permit the growing 

 of commercial forests, about 1,250,000 acres are seriously eroding. 

 However, a very large part of this land is in the upper coastal plain 

 where, given protection, tree reproduction and other native vegetation 

 can be depended on to reclothe the land rather quickly and to check 

 erosion within a few years. Reforestation is needed, however, on 

 about 250,000 acres of badly eroded land. On the remaining aban- 

 doned lands some kind of vegetation has already become established. 

 This is serving to hold the soil and, if protected from fire, a forest 

 will gradually take poese&sdon and develop more favorable conditions 

 of stream flow. 



