September 3, 2020 - Jordan Herrin, former Hudson district forester at Texas A&M Forest Service, was promoted to regional forester for East Texas Operations Department’s central region. The East Texas Operations Department provides the crucial forest resource development and protection needed to keep the Texas pineywoods region safe and productive.
August 12, 2020 — Wildfire activity has increased statewide with hot and dry conditions. This pattern of activity is expected to continue as the state moves into late summer.
Fire environment—weather, fuels and current conditions
August 5, 2020 - Firefighters from across the state are battling the still-growing, human-caused Mays Fire in San Saba and McCulloch Counties. The fire ignited on August 1, approximately 16 miles east of Brady, Texas, as the result of an individual parking and idling their vehicle over tall, dry grass. The fire has currently burned an estimated 9,500 acres and is only 50% contained.
August 4, 2020 – Texas A&M Forest Service is now accepting grant applications for the State Fire Assistance for Mitigation – Plains Prescribed Fire Grant through August 15. The grant will provide $81,000 in total funding for prescribed burns.
Funding will be provided to landowners and communities that have been, or may be threatened by wildland fire to reduce hazardous fuels. Properties in the panhandle, west and northwest Texas at high risk for loss during a Southern Plains Wildfire Outbreak are eligible.
June 30, 2020 - As Texans make plans to celebrate the Fourth of July, Texas A&M Forest Service encourages everyone to be careful with any activity that may cause a spark.
Approximately 90 percent of wildfires are caused by humans and their activities, and Independence Day is one of the top days for reported wildfires.
June 17, 2020 — Drought conditions in the western Plains and early drying across the state have led to an increase in wildfire activity and an early start to the summer wildfire season.
Most of the state is trending three to four weeks ahead of typical early summer drying, and the rainfall outlook over the next six weeks is not anticipated to be enough to reverse this trend.
Wildfire analysts with Texas A&M Forest Service report that Texas could experience a severe summer wildfire season.
June 15, 2020 — Texas A&M Forest Service, local fire officials and fire departments are advising the public to be aware of the continued drying conditions in Bell, McLennan, Coryell and Hill county regions that can contribute to rapidly growing wildfires.
As Texas moves into the hotter and drier summer months, grasses and surface fuels will begin drying making them more receptive to ignition.
May 1, 2020 - While Texans are doing things differently this spring and summer, the threat of wildfire is constant. Texas A&M Forest Service encourages Texans to take part in National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Wildfire Community Preparedness Day on May 2. By taking a proactive approach to wildfire prevention, homeowners can significantly increase their safety and their home’s likelihood of survival during a catastrophic event.
February 24, 2020 College Station – Troy Lee Grice, 48, of Groveton, Texas was arrested Feb. 16, 2020 in Cherokee County for Timber Purchase as a Trustee with Intent to Defraud. The timber is valued between $100,000 and $200,000, making the crime a second degree felony.
Grice turned himself in to authorities after a warrant was obtained by Texas A&M Forest Service law enforcement officers and was later released on a $30,000 bond.