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We're tasked by the state with responding to wildfires. We study weather patterns, drought cycles and the status of vegetation across the state to predict when and where dangerous fire conditions may occur. Should a wildfire ignite, we maintain a statewide network of strategically-placed teams of firefighters and equipment so that we're able to respond quickly when the call comes.
Rural fire departments respond to 80 percent of wildfires in Texas - and they do it with shoestring budgets and almost entirely with volunteers. We help fire departments pay for needed training and equipment and help Texans learn how to prevent, prepare for and protect against wildfire.
With roughly 94 percent of forestland in Texas privately owned, the trees, forests—and the benefits they provide - rests in the hands of thousands of Texans. While keeping the entire state's forested landscape in mind, we inform and educate landowners on sustainable land management practices.
We work with communities to plant, care for and conserve trees. We empower local volunteers to make a positive impact in their communities. We are here to assist when disaster strikes with damage assessments, information, technical assistance and long-term recovery.
We analyze and monitor forests, landscapes and communities for susceptibility to health and wildfire risks. We take action with education, information, diagnosis and treatment. We know that any information we have is more powerful when we give it to you.
We can help quench your thirst for learning. Explore links to identify trees using their leaves and branches, create your own tree trails and experience Texas history from the perspective of a witness tree. Share activities in the classroom to open up a world of conservation for new generations.
Rural fire departments respond to 80 percent of the wildfires in Texas - and they do it with shoestring budgets and a staff often made up almost entirely of volunteers. Sometimes they need a little help. Our programs help fire departments pay for needed training and equipment. We also help communities and property owners learn to prevent, prepare for and protect against wildfire.
We work with communities to plant, care for and conserve trees where people live, work and play. We foster appreciation and stewardship of urban forests empowering local volunteers to make a positive impact in their communities. We are here to assist when disaster strikes. From damage assessment, to information and technical assistance, to long-term recovery - we help property owners and communities thrive.
Our experts research, analyze and carefully monitor forests, landscapes and communities for susceptibility to health and wildfire risks. We take action with education, information, diagnosis and treatment. We know that any information or knowledge we have is more powerful when we give it to you. As a state agency, our responsibility is share what we know.
If you have an unquenchable thirst for learning, we offer programs and information that you may either explore independently or share with a group. Learn about trees, forests, the benefits they provide and the challenges they face. Read stories about trees that are living witness to Texas history. Locate champion trees across the state. And bring activities into the classroom to open a world of conservation to a new generation.
Prevent Wildfires
+Prepare for Wildfire
-Wildland Urban Interface
+Fire Department Programs
+Planning & Preparation
Initiated back in 2005, community leaders in Walker County (PDF, 2.5MB) developed the first county-wide Community Wildfire Protection Plan (PDF, 22MB) in Texas. Their mission was to identify wildfire risks, create mitigation strategies and devise a plan that would empower residents to protect their homes and property.
“It sounded like a lot of work,” said John Hobbs, Assistant Fire Chief for the City of Huntsville. “But we believed in it. We worked really well together. To make it work, you have to get a partner. Texas A&M Forest Service knows how to get people motivated and educated. And really, it’s for the safety of your own home. It’s protecting your home, your community.”
The city of Cedar Hill worked to create a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (PDF, 22MB) and implement mitigation strategies (PDF, 1MB). Finished in 2010, the CWPP identified high risk areas within city limits and potential fuels reduction projects.
In 2013, a fuels reduction project using TFS saw crews and a mulching machine worked with Cedar Hill and Northwood University, a Firewise Community, to complete a shaded fuel break with the goal of lowering the intensity of a wildfire, improving firefighter/public safety, and improving emergency ingress and egress. Cedar Hill Fire Chief John Ballard discusses the benefits of a CWPP and need for fuels reduction.
Initiated in 2007, community leaders and emergency management agencies partnered with cooperators such as Fire Citizens Advisory Panel, Lower Colorado River Authority and Bastrop County School Districts to form specialized task forces that worked together with the primary goal to develop a comprehensive Community Wildfire Protection Plan (PDF, 22MB). Though the CWPP process of performing risk assessments to identify the wildland fire risk areas in the county, the working group developed mitigation plans to reduce the risk to life and property from wildfires in Bastrop County.
The CWPP also identified a critical Houston Toad habitat (endangered species) and the area in Bastrop County that is home to the Lost Pines. This working group took it a step further and included the Fire Regime and Condition Class into the plan.
“It was a long process that culminated with a comprehensive plan that was approved and signed by the Bastrop County Commissioners Court on June 23, 2008,” Mike Fisher, Bastrop County Emergency Management Coordinator, said. “By bringing in partners that are not traditionally part of emergency response I feel we developed a strong plan that included everything from fire response preplans to evacuation plans that identified shelters and mechanisms for accountability.”
Bastrop County’s CWPP has been recognized as a driving force in the success of evacuating nearly 5,000 people in four hours during the 2011 Bastrop County Complex Wildfire.
In the Texas Panhandle, the City of Borger knows all too well about the wildfire risk in and around their community. Borger is a Firewise Community and actively mitigates for future wildfires.
“Most cities have a wildland urban interface. As firefighters, city planners and city officials, it is our responsibility to protect and educate our citizens about wildfire risks,” Borger Fire Chief Bob Watson said. “The Firewise Communities program is a great tool to jump start the public and firefighters to mitigate around the city.”
Borger is proactive in reducing wildfire risks with the completion of annual fuels projects and incorporating prescribed fire into the landscape.
The purpose of this grant program is to encourage the development of community wide protection plans and mitigation projects for fuels reduction. These funds are being provided through a grant from the U.S. Forest Service and is subject to the provisions contained in 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (www.ecfr.gov/).
Eligible CWPP grant applicants are local county or community governments in the State of Texas who have been identified by TFS for funding based on the intent to develop a new CWPP or update an existing CWPP. Private or non-profit organizations are not eligible for grant funds.
Applications will be accepted until all funds have been awarded. Early applications are encouraged. Priority will be given to applications received prior ot October 15, 2015.
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PREPARE YOUR HOME FOR WILDFIRES
PREVENT WILDFIRES
WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE
TEXAS BURN BANS
WILDFIRE RISK
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In addition to fighting wildfires, Texas A&M Forest Service is called upon to assist during all-hazard emergencies such as natural and man-made disasters and domestic situations. Follow @AllHazardsTFS on Twitter for the latest updated on incidents across the state.
The Bastrop Lost Pines Recovery AggieREPLANT will take place on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017. Over the past five years, 2,000 students have planted 43,000 loblolly pine seedlings over 50 acres of parkland.
Texas A&M Forest Service launches online tools to assist Texas landowners Texas A&M Forest Service launched the Learn Plan Act Texas website in partnership with the Southern Group of State Foresters and the Texas Forestry Association to educate Texans on land stewardship practices. The agency also redesigned its My Land Management Connector application in an effort to make stewardship easier than ever before.
Texas A&M AgriLife awards TFS forester for public service Texas A&M AgriLife has awarded Andrew Crocker, Staff Forester for Texas A&M Forest Service, the 2017 Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellence for Pubic Service in Forestry.
Texas A&M AgriLife awards forester for public service Texas A&M AgriLife has awarded Joel Hambright, Regional Forester for Texas A&M Forest Service, the 2018 Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellence for Public Service in Forestry.