There was more bad news coming out of Bastrop County on October 6, 2011, when Chris Edgar, Forest Resource Analyst for the Texas Forest Service, announced that 1.5 million trees are expected to die as a result of the Bastrop County Complex Fires.
These lost trees are an important part of the ancient history of Texas, the Lost Pines Forest in Bastrop County, described in the Texas Handbook Online as a disjunct population of Pinus taeda L, or loblolly pines.
The pines are in a swatch 13 miles across. The trees were described in the writings of Stephen F. Austin and other early Texas settlers. They are the great ancestor trees of Texas. Researchers believe they were once part of a large pine forest that shrank after the Ice Age.
'"I examined an area of approximately 6000 acres," Edgar explained, "so there's still a large portion of the forest that I haven't seen. In the areas I was able to access, I saw severe burning from north to south with east to west pockets where everything was dead, regardless of the type of tree. The fire was so intense that nothing survived."
The Bastrop County Complex Fire, which started on September 4, 2011, is still burning. The fire moved across 34,068 acres and caused the deaths of two residents. A total of 1669 homes and 41 commercial buildings were also lost in the fires, as well as 16,200 acres of pine and deciduous forest trees.
The Bastrop County Complex Fire is only 95% contained, which may explain the spot that escaped and started the Old Potato Road Fire on October 4. The Old Potato Road Fire is now 75% contained.
Much of Central Texas is expecting rain over the weekend and a good rainstorm could help firefighters with the Old Potato Fire, but nothing will save the 1.5 million trees that were already damaged.
"We did a careful inventory," Edgar said. "We looked at the part of the forest where the fire is out, evaluated a large sample of tree to see if they’re dead, likely to die, or likely to survive. I am sad to say this, but the largest number of trees were in the first two categories--already dead or likely to die--and even a rainstorm would not change the outcome."
Damage Assessment Report
The numbers are staggering. According to the Texas Forest Service Damage Assessment Report, prior to the Bastrop County Complex Fire, the Bastrop County forests consisted of more than 31 million cubic feet of trees. After the fires, 7 million cubic feet, or 22%, remained.
This means that 12 million cubic feet of trees, or 38% of the total volume of trees died in the fire. An additional 13 million, or 40%, are still alive, but in the process of dying. The combined numbers total more than 24 million cubic feet of trees lost, 850,000k green tons of timber, $14 million in stumpage value according to East Texas timber markets.
A Long Process of Recovery
After the data is gathered and compiled, researchers will decide on the most effective methods to help the forest renew itself. "Many of the researchers studying the area are concerned about the forest floor," Edgar explained. "In areas where the fire was most severe, the forest floor may not be receptive to pine seeds when they fall and they may not germinate."
The ongoing drought, the worst drought in Texas state history, is also a concern. A September 27, 2011 press release from the Texas Forest Service announced severe drought conditions, and the resulting dangerous fire conditions, will continue through the fall and winter of 2011.
"The drought is the wildcard," Edgar explained. "If it continues, if these conditions persist for years, it will definitely complicate the process."
"It can be hard to accept the long view picture when it comes to forests and renewal," Edgar said. "It's discouraging and tragic to think that the forest we grew up with is no longer there, but nature has a way of starting over. It seems to take so long, though, to recover a forest in terms of a human life span. It takes thirty, sometimes as much as fifty years."
In the process of his research, Edgar did see signs that left him with a feeling of hope. "I didn't see much green, but I did see a little oak sprouting back from the roots. It is a testament to the resilience of nature that the root stock survived. Hopefully we will see a vibrant, thriving forest in Bastrop again soon."
Darla Sue Dollman - Darla Sue Dollman, BA, MFA, has expertise in classic films, the Old West, boating, and animals.
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