The Piney Woods is a terrestrial ecoregion An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area smaller than a "realm" or "ecozone". Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural communities and species. The biodiversity of flora, fauna and in the Southern The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, Down South, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive region in the southeastern and south-central United States. Because of the region's unique cultural and historic heritage, including Native Americans; early European settlements of Spanish, English and United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the covering 54,400 square miles (141,000 km²) of East Texas According to the Handbook of Texas, the East Texas area "may be separated from the rest of Texas roughly by a line extending from the Red River in north central Lamar County southwestward to east central Limestone County and then southeastward to Galveston Bay", though some separate the Gulf Coast area into a separate region, Southern Arkansas Arkansas ( /ˈɑrkənsɔː/ ; AR-kən-saw) is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquin name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River. Its diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the Ozarks and the, Western Louisiana The State of Louisiana ( /luːˌiːziːˈænə/ or /ˌluːziːˈænə/ (help·info), French: État de Louisiane, pronounced [lwizjan] (help·info)) is a state located in the southern region (Deep South) of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state divided into parishes,, and Southeastern Oklahoma Southeastern Oklahoma, also known by its official tourism designation, Kiamichi Country, encompasses the southeastern quarter of the state of Oklahoma. The term "Kiamichi Country" was coined by the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation as one of six travel destination regions within the state and is named after the Kiamichi River. These temperate coniferous forests The temperate coniferous forest includes areas such as the Valdivian temperate rain forests of southwestern South America, the rain forests of New Zealand and Tasmania, northwest Europe , southern Japan, and the eastern Black Sea-Caspian Sea region of Turkey and Georgia to northern Iran. The moist conditions of temperate rain forests generally are dominated by several species of pine See Pinus classification for complete taxonomy to species level. See list of pines by region for list of species by geographical distribution as well as hardwoods The term hardwood is used to describe wood from non-monocot angiosperm trees and for those trees themselves. These are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen including hickory Trees in the genus Carya are commonly known as Hickory. The genus includes 17–19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaves and large nuts. A dozen or so species are native to North America (11–12 in the United States, 1 in Mexico), and 5–6 species from China and Indochina and oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 400 species exist. "Oak" may also apear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus. The genus is native to the northern hemisphere, and includes deciduous and evergreen species extending from cold latitudes to tropical Asia and the Americas. The World Wide Fund for Nature The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in the United States and Canada. It is the world's largest independent conservation organization with considers the Piney Woods to be one of the critically endangered ecoregions of the United States.^[1]

Setting

The Piney woods cover an area of 140,900 square kilometres (54,400 sq mi) of eastern Texas, northwestern Louisiana, southwestern Arkansas and the southeastern corner of Oklahoma.^[1] They are bounded on the east by the Mississippi lowland forests, on the south by the Western Gulf coastal grasslands The Western Gulf coastal grasslands are a subtropical grassland ecoregion of the southern United States and northeastern Mexico. The ecoregion covers an area of 77,425 km², extending along the shore of the Gulf of Mexico from southeastern Louisiana through Texas and into Mexico's Tamaulipas state, where it is known as the Tamaulipan pastizal, on the west by the East Central Texas forests and the Texas blackland prairies The Texas Blackland Prairies are a temperate grassland ecoregion located in Texas that runs roughly from the Red River in North Texas to San Antonio in the south, on the northwest by the Central forest-grasslands transition, and on the north by the Ozark Mountain forests.

Flora

The region has heavy to moderate rainfall, with some places receiving over 60 inches (1,500 mm) of rain per year. Longleaf The bark is thick, reddish-brown, and scaly. The leaves are dark green, needle-like, and occur in bundles of three. They are often twisted and are remarkably long 20–45 cm in length. It is one of the two southeastern U.S. pines with long needles, the other being Slash Pine, Shortleaf and Loblolly Pines Pinus taeda is one of several pines native to the southeastern United States. The trees reach a height of 30-35 m (100-115 ft) with a diameter of 0.4-1.5 m (1.5-5 ft). Exceptional specimens may reach 45 m (150 ft) tall, the largest of the southern pines. Its needles are in bundles of three, sometimes twisted, and measure 12-22 cm (5-9 inches) long:, along with Bluejack and Post Oaks, dominate sandhills This xeric fire-maintained ecosystem features very short fire return intervals, one to five years. Without fire, sandhills undergo ecological succession and become more oak dominated. A well developed understory Understory is the term for the area of a forest which grows in the shade of the emergent or forest canopy. Plants in the understory consist of a mixture of seedlings and saplings of canopy trees together with understory shrubs and herbs. Young canopy trees often persist as suppressed juveniles for decades while they wait for an opening in the grows beneath the sparse canopy Sometimes the term canopy is used to refer to the extent of the outer layer of leaves of an individual tree or group of trees. Shade trees normally have a dense canopy that blocks light from lower growing plants, and includes Yaupon Holly and Flowering Dogwood Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood, syn. Benthamidia florida Spach) is a species of dogwood native to eastern North America, from southern Maine west to southern Ontario and eastern Kansas, and south to northern Florida and eastern Texas and also in Illinois, with a disjunct population in eastern Mexico in Nuevo León and Veracruz. Pine savannas consist of scattered Longleaf and Loblolly Pines alongside Black Tupelos, Sweetgums, and Sweetbay Magnolias.^[1] Other common trees in this ecoregion include Eastern Redbud, Southern Sugar Maple, and American Elm.^[2] American Wisteria, a vine, may cover groves of trees

Two varieties of wetlands A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with moisture either permanently or seasonally. Such areas may also be covered partially or completely by shallow pools of water. Wetlands include swamps, marshes, and bogs, among others. The water found in wetlands can be saltwater, freshwater, or brackish are common in the Piney Woods: bayous A bayou is a small, slow-moving stream or creek, or a lake or pool (bayou lake) that lies in an abandoned[vague] channel of a stream. Bayous are usually located in relatively flat, low-lying areas, for example, in the Mississippi River region of the southern United States. A bayou is frequently a slackwater anabranch or minor braid of a braided are generally found near rivers and sloughs The word slough has several meanings related to wetland or aquatic features which are generally found near creeks. In bayous Bald cypress It is a large tree, reaching 25–40 m tall and a trunk diameter of 2–3 m, rarely to 5 m. The bark is gray-brown to red-brown, shallowly vertically fissured, with a stringy texture. The leaves are borne on deciduous branchlets that are spirally arranged on the stem but twisted at the base to lie in two horizontal ranks, 1-2 cm long and 1-2 mm, Spanish moss Spanish moss closely resembles its namesake (Usnea, or beard lichen). However, Spanish moss is not biologically related to either mosses or lichens. Instead, it is a flowering plant in the family Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) that grows hanging from tree branches in full sun or partial shade. Formerly this plant has been placed in the genera, and water lilies Nymphaea is a genus of aquatic plants in the family Nymphaeaceae. There are about 50 species in the genus, which has a cosmopolitan distribution are common plants.^[3] Sloughs are shallow pools of standing water that most trees are capable of growing in, and other species such as the Purple bladderwort, a small carnivorous plant Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients (but not energy) from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods. Carnivorous plants appear adapted to grow in places where the soil is thin or poor in nutrients, especially nitrogen, such as acidic bogs and rock outcroppings, have found a niche in sloughs.

Hearty species of Prickly pear cactus Opuntia, also known as nopales , or Paddle Cactus from the resemblance to the ball-and-paddle toy, is a genus in the cactus family, Cactaceae and Yucca The yuccas comprise the genus Yucca of 40-50 species of perennials, shrubs, and trees in the agave family Agavaceae, notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal clusters of white or whitish flowers. They are native to the hot and dry parts of North America, Central America, South America, and the West can be found both in the forests and wetlands.

The indigenous Texas trailing phlox (Phlox Phlox is a genus of 67 species of annual or perennial flowering plants. Some species flower in early spring while others flower in summer into fall. Most species are native to temperate North America but a few species are also from northeastern Asia. They are found growing in diverse habitats from alpine locations to open woodlands and prairies nivalis texensisis), an endangered species, grows in the sandy soils of Longleaf Pine forests.^[4]

Fauna

Mammals such as Eastern Cottontail The Eastern Cottontail is a New World cottontail rabbit, a member of the family Leporidae. It is one of the most common rabbit species in North America rabbits Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. There are seven different genera in the family classified as rabbits, including the European rabbit , Cottontail rabbit (genus Sylvilagus; 13 species), and the Amami rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi, endangered species on Amami Ōshima, Japan), Eastern Gray Squirrels The Eastern Gray Squirrel , or the Grey Squirrel, depending on region, is a tree squirrel native to the eastern and midwestern United States and to the southerly portions of the eastern provinces of Canada. The native range of the Eastern Gray Squirrel overlaps with that of the fox squirrel (Sciurus niger), with which it is sometimes confused,, Virginia Opossums The Virginia Opossum , commonly known as the North American Opossum, is the only marsupial found in North America north of the Rio Grande River. A solitary and nocturnal animal about the size of a domestic cat, it is a successful opportunist and is found throughout Central America and North America east of the Rockies from Costa Rica to southern, Nine-banded Armadillos Dasypus novemcinctus, commonly known as the nine-banded long-nosed armadillo or nine-banded armadillo , is a species of armadillo found in North, Central, and South America, making it the most widespread of the armadillos. Its ancestors originated in South America and remained there until 3 million years ago when the formation of the Isthmus of, White-tailed deer The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer, or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States (all but five of the states), Canada, Mexico, Central America, and in South America as far south as Peru. It has also been introduced to New Zealand and some countries in Europe, such as Finland and the Czech, North American Cougars, Gray Foxes The Gray Fox is a mammal of the order Carnivora ranging throughout most of the southern half of North America from southern Canada to northern Venezuela and Colombia. This species and the closely related Island Fox are the only living members of the genus Urocyon, which is considered to be among the most primitive of the living canids, Bobcats The Bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family, Felidae. With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States. The Bobcat is an adaptable predator that inhabits wooded areas, as well as semi-desert, urban edge, forest edges and swampland environments. It, Ring-tailed Cats The ringtail is a mammal of the raccoon family, native to arid regions of North America. It is also known as the ringtail cat, ring-tailed cat or miner's cat, and is also sometimes mistakenly called a "civet cat" (similar, though unrelated, cat-like omnivores of Asia and Africa). The ringtail is sometimes called a cacomistle, though this, Rafinesque's Big-eared Bats, and Seminole Bat;^[4] and reptiles Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia, are air-breathing, cold-blooded amniotes that have skin covered in scales or scutes as opposed to hair or feathers. They are tetrapods and lay amniote eggs, whose embryos are surrounded by the amnion membrane. Modern reptiles inhabit every continent with the exception of Antarctica, and four living such as Cottonmouth Water Moccasins Agkistrodon piscivorus is a venomous snake, a species of pitviper, found in the eastern United States. Adults are large and capable of delivering a painful and potentially fatal bite, but their reputation for aggression is largely undeserved.[citation needed] This is the world's only semiaquatic viper, usually being found in or near water,, Prairie Kingsnakes, Slender glass lizards, and Squirrel Treefrogs, thrive in the Piney Woods. Birds include Sandhill Cranes, Black and Turkey Vultures, Northern Mockingbirds The Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos, is the only mockingbird commonly found in North America. This species was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758 as Turdus polyglottos, and the vulnerable A vulnerable species is a species which is likely to become endangered unless the circumstances threatening its survival and reproduction improve. The following is a very small, non-representative fraction of the 8,565 species listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List Red-cockaded Woodpecker. American Alligators The American Alligator, Alligator mississippiensis, is one of the two living species of Alligator, a genus within the family Alligatoridae. The American Alligator is native only to the Southeastern United States, where it inhabits wetlands that frequently overlap with human-populated areas. It is larger than the other extant alligator species, the are not as common as they once were, but their population has rebounded since the 1960s. Louisiana Black Bears The American Black Bear is the most common bear species native to North America. It lives throughout much of the continent, from northern Alaska south into Mexico and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. This includes 41 of the 50 U.S. states, all Canadian provinces except Prince Edward Island, and portions of northern Mexico. Populations are rare today, but still live in remote thickets. Recently, there has been significant talk of reintroducing the Black Bear into many parts of East Texas.^[5][6] The most common fish is Catfish Catfish are a very diverse group of bony fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers (though not prominent in all members of this order), catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores (species that eat, which are a native species but also stocked in local reservoirs. Crayfish Crayfish, crawfish, or crawdads — members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea — are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters, to which they are related. They breathe through feather-like gills and are found in bodies of water that do not freeze to the bottom; they are also mostly found in brooks and streams where there is are common along river and creek banks.

The Piney Woods Region of the four state area is a noted area for Bigfoot Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, is an alleged ape-like creature purportedly inhabiting forests, mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Bigfoot is usually described as a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid. Many believers in its existence contend that the same or similar creatures are found around the world under different regional (Sasquatch) sightings; with many legends dating back to pre European settlement. One such noted legend is the story of the Fouke Monster of Southern Arkansas; documented in the 1972 film The Legend of Boggy Creek. The area according to references lists this area to be the third highest in North America for these such sightings. Melanistic (black) cougars, another probable cryptid, have been noted by residents.^[7]

Conservation and threats

The majority of the commercial timber growing and wood processing in the state of Texas takes place in the Piney Woods region, which contains about 50,000 square kilometres (12,000,000 acres) of commercial forestland.

National forests

Four National Forests are found in the Piney Woods of East Texas. These National Forests include some 634,912 acres (2,569.40 km²) in 12 counties.

• Angelina National Forest (Angelina, Nacogdoches, San Augustine and Jasper counties)
• Sabine National Forest
• Davy Crockett National Forest
• Sam Houston National Forest (Huntsville)

State parks

The Texas portion of the Piney Woods has at least 17 state parks:

• Atlanta State Park
• Caddoan Mounds State Historic Site
• Caddo Lake State Park
• Daingerfield State Park
• Governor Hogg Shrine Historic Site (Quitman)
• Huntsville State Park
• Jim Hogg Historic Site (Rusk)
• Lake Bob Sandlin State Park
• Lake Livingston State Park
• Martin Creek Lake State Park
• Martin Dies Jr. State Park (Jasper)
• Mission Tejas State Park
• Rusk and Palestine State Parks
• Starr Family State Historic Site
• Tyler State Park
• Village Creek State Park (Lumberton)

External links

• Images and Information on the Piney Woods and East Texas
• Experience Nature, Arts & Culture, History & Heritage Destinations in the Texas Pineywoods

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Piney Woods forests (NA0523)". WWF Ecoregion Reports. World Wide Fund for Nature. http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/na/na0523_full.html. Retrieved on 2009-06-14.
2. ^ "Ecoregion 1 – The East Texas Pineywoods Ecoregion". Plant Guidance by Ecoregions. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/wildscapes/guidance/plants/ecoregions/ecoregion_1.phtml. Retrieved on 2009-06-14.
3. ^ Liu, Changxiang; Jim A. Neal; Craig Scofield; Jane Chang; A. Kim Ludeke; Carl Frentress (2009-06-16). "Classification of Land Cover and Assessment of Forested Wetlands in the Cypress Creek Watershed". Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/pwd_rp_t3200_1056/index.phtml. Retrieved on 2009-06-14.
4. ^ ^{a b} "Pineywoods". TPWD Kids. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/kids/about_texas/regions/pineywoods/big_kids/. Retrieved on 2009-06-14.
5. ^ "Where they Once Roamed". Houston Chronicle. 2005-07-06. http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2005_3884479.
6. ^ "Push grows to make E. Texas bear country". Houston Chronicle. 2006-08-08. http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2006_4166744.
7. ^ "Black Panther Sightings In Upshur County". KLT7 News. 2007-03-28. http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6295071.

Categories: Ecoregions in the United States | Geography of the United States | Natural history of Arkansas | Natural history of Louisiana | Natural history of Oklahoma | Natural history of Texas | Nearctic | Regions of Texas | Temperate coniferous forests

See Also:

• Piney Woods
• Lakewood Church
• Hopwood V. Texas
• Prestonwood Baptist Church
• Alonso Álvarez de Pineda

What Links Here:

• Home

Recently Viewed Pages:

• Piney Woods: Encyclopedia
• Tex: Dictionary
• Southern Poverty Law Center: News
• Tex-Mex: News
• Speegleville: News
• Abkhazia: Images
• Slaton: News
• Southwestern United States: Encyclopedia
• Strawn: News
• Texas Blind Snake: Dictionary

Most Popular Pages:

• Tex-Mex: News
• Urllist.txt
• Friendswood: News
• Strawn: News
• Southern Poverty Law Center: News
• Abkhazia: Images
• Tex: Dictionary
• Piney Woods: Encyclopedia
• Texas: Encyclopedia
• Speegleville: News

Related 'Piney Woods' Searches: