Texas Forest Service

A lab technician in sterile clothing holds a piece of electronic equipmentThe Texas Forest Service offers many programs to educate and inform Texans of all ages about conservation.

Texas Forest Service is recognized as the leader in defining forestry of the future for Texas and the nation through its applied programs in forest and tree development; wildfire prevention, mitigation and protection; urban and community forestry and a host of other innovative forest sustainability programs. By collaborating with regional governments and forestry cooperators, some 375 Texas Forest Service employees work to ensure the state’s forests and trees are protected and continue to provide a sustainable flow of environmental and economic benefits today and for future generations. Texas Forest Service is the incident management agency for state disasters and has led the management of such incidents as the Space Shuttle Columbia recovery and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Established 1915
Number of Educational/Outreach Programs 40
Number of Texas Forest Service Offices 66
FY 2008 Operating Budget $55.6M

Did You Know?

  • Money really does grow on trees! According to TFS’ new report—Houston’s Regional Forest: Structure, Functions, Values—it would cost $205 billion to replace all of the 663 million trees within the eight-county region around Houston. The report represents the latest effort to quantify the green infrastructure of the region and is the first report of its kind in Texas.
  • As the incident management agency for state emergencies, TFS has led the management of such incidents as the Space Shuttle Columbia recovery in East Texas and the exotic Newcastle disease outbreak in West Texas, and provided logistical support in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
  • The agency’s Indian Mound Nursery in Alto and West Texas Nursery in Idalou produce over 15 million advanced generation pine and Texas native hardwood seedlings each year for the state’s reforestation, conservation and urban tree planting programs.

  • To help preserve Texas forests for future generations, the Texas Forest Service in partnership with the Texas A&M Foundation, has created the Texas Heritage Forest Program. This program allows owners of Texas forestland the opportunity to establish a prominent, living legacy of forestlands through a donation.

Agency information: (979) 458-6606 · texasforestservice.tamu.edu