SriJVKY OF TEXAS WOODLANDS. 17 



it ocean's in more nearly pure stands, where the soil is fresh and fertile 

 the ground is shared with many hardwoods. Along the low ridges, on 

 sandy knolls, and in abandoned fields made more retentive of moisture 

 hv cultivation, loblolly pine is likely to occur in pure stands. In the 

 stream bottoms and on flat, semi-swampy soils the oaks are abundant, 

 and gum, holly, beech, hornbeam, maple, magnolia, and other hardwoods 

 a iv mixed with loblolly. In these situations the abundance of palmetto 

 and vines together with the pine and hardwoods often form thickets, 

 the largest of which is the so-called "Big Thicket" of Hardin County. 

 Tsually pine does not form more than 25 per cent of the stand on these 

 poorly drained areas, but it is of larger size and better quality than 

 occurs in the pure stands. 



Together with white and overcup oak loblolly pine* is cut for rail- 

 road ties far more extensively than for any other purpose. Nearly 700,000 

 ties represent the present annual output from the counties in the lob- 

 lolly pine region. Other products from loblolly pine are lumber, pack- 

 ing boxes, charcoal, piling, ship timber, and telephone poles. Hickory 

 for handles and staves from various species are products from associated 

 hardwood trees. Present methods of tie cutting are extremely wasteful 

 and logging leaves little chance for the permanent continuance of these 

 important industries. Scrub oak is apt to follow loblolly on cut-over 

 lands and with recurring fires loblolly is hindered in its reproduction 

 and can return but slowly. 



Longleaf Pine Region. 



The longleaf pine region occupies some 5000 square miles of the 

 East Texas Timber Belt. The region lies north of the loblolly pine 

 region and extends from the Sabine River as far to the southwest as 

 the Trinity River, where the loblolly and shortleaf pine regions meet 

 to form its western boundary. On the north longleaf pine gives way to 

 shortleaf pine approximately along a line through the northern boun- 

 dary of Sabine. San Augustine, central Nacogdoches, northwestern 

 Angelina, and the central part of Trinity Counties. In addition to 

 the above, Polk, Tyler. Jasper, Newton, and the northeastern portion 

 of Hardin Counties are within the longleaf regk>n. This is not a 

 large region but it includes the finest bodies of timber in Texas and is 

 the center of the lumber and turpentine industries of the State. It 

 nearly coincide* with the Fayetto Prairie formation east of the Trinity 

 River. The altitude is above that of the loblolly region, ranging from 

 100 to 300 f-et. and the country is rougher and better drained, except 

 along the ><>inhrni margin where it is flat and really overlaps the 

 coastal bcli. Sandy ridges and deep, open textured soils are char- 

 acteristic of the longlojif country. Long-loaf pine is able to thrust its 

 tap root doe]) into tho soil and in a measure is independent of drv sur- 



*For further information on tliis subject, see Bulletin 04. Forest Service.* TJ. S. 

 Department of A-jriculture. Washington, D. C'.. entitled "Loblolly Tine in Eastern 

 Texas." 



