Wilbur R. Mattoon

“ Every industry depends upon forest products in one way or another.
Trees are more important today than ever before. More than 10,000 products are reportedly made from trees. Through chemistry, the humble woodpile is yielding chemicals, plastics and fabrics that were beyond comprehension when an axe first felled a Texas tree. ”

“ Magnolia is one of the best-known trees in the eastern part of the state. No other tree excels it in the combined beauty of leaves and flowers. Occurring naturally in rich moist soil on the borders of river swamps and nearby uplands in the Coastal Plain to the valley of the Brazos River, it has been widely cultivated for its ornamental value. In its natural habitat, it attains heights generally of 60 to 80 feet and trunk diameters up to 4 feet. The dense pyramidal head, or crown, is made up of numerous small spreading branches and branchlets. ”

“ Arbor Day can best be celebrated by planting one or more suitable trees around a school or club area or by establishing a school plantation. In addition to paying tribute to the beauty of trees, one can call attention to the importance of trees to man’s welfare. The Texas Forest Service continues to assist clubs and schools in organizing Arbor Day programs. ”

“ Black locust requires deep, well-drained, moist soil for good growth. It grows indifferently to poorly on well-drained, dry sites. Of late years it has been severely damaged by the locust borer and is no longer recommended for planting in pure stands.
BLACK LOCUST (Leaf and fruit, one-third natural size; twig, two-thirds natural size)
The twigs and branchlets are armed with paired, straight or slightly curved, sharp, strong spines, sometimes as much as 1 inch in length, which remain attached to the outer bark for many years. ”

“ The FLOWERS arising from the large prominent flower buds are a greenish-yellow color and appear in clusters in the spring before the leaves. The FRUIT ripens in the spring and consists of a pair of wing samaras or “keys” with wings 1 to 2 inches long on a slender, flexible, thread-like peduncle about an inch long.
The WOOD is soft, weak, even-textured, rather brittle, easily worked, and decays readily when exposed. It is occasionally used for flooring, furniture and fuel.
The silver maple grows rapidly and has been planted in Texas as a shade tree. ”

“ On large rapidly growing trees the wings are often absent. It occurs in eastern Texas south to the valley of the Guadalupe River, on dry uplands, and in moist soils along streams and swamps. It grows rapidly in moist situations, and may also be planted along roadsides in relatively dry, poor locations. It is comparatively free from disease, though not long-lived. Winged elm is a medium-sized tree 40 to 50 feet in height and rarely as large as 2 feet in diameter. ”

“ In 1915, the 34th Texas Legislature created by law the State Department of Forestry and made it a part of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. In 1925, the department became the Texas Forest Service. As it grew, its service to Texas increased. It now helps protect Texas’ forest resources against fire, insects and disease; assists woodland owners in the proper management of their lands; makes available seedlings for reforestation and windbreak purposes ”

“ It is still the dominant pine on moist sites, but may also be found in relatively dry sites.
The dark-colored BARK is deeply furrowed and often attains a thickness of as much as 2 inches on large-sized trees. The needle-like LEAVES, 6 to 9 inches long, are borne three (occasionally two) in a cluster. In the spring bright green clumps of needles grow at the end of branches and give the tree a luxuriant appearance. The “FRUIT”, a cone, ripens in the autumn of the second year and is 3 to 5 inches long. Many seeds with wings an inch long are shed during the fall and early winter. ”

“ The FRUIT is an oblong berry 3 to 6 inches long, and contains a number of large, brown seeds. When ripe it falls to the ground, turning dark brown. The deep yellow flesh is palatable, though some people do not care for its unique flavor. The tree blooms and bears as a shrub or tree. ”

“ Ohio buckeye occurs as far west as eastern Texas along streams in rich soils. Though often only a shrub, it becomes a medium-sized tree in rich alluvial bottoms. Its leaves and fruit are poisonous to stock.
The BARK is white and, on old trees, divided or broken into light brown flat scales, which make the stems of the tree rough; the bark is ill-smelling when bruised.
OHIO BUCKEYE (Twig, two-thirds natural size; nut, one-third natural size; leaf, one-fourth natural size)
The LEAVES are opposite, palmately compounded, with 5 to 7 smooth, pale green leaflets, ill-smelling when bruised. ”

“ This species is a native of East Texas, being found as far west as the Trinity River. It grows along rivers at the edges of swamps and ponds, where water stands a part of the year. These trees often form extensive thickets. The FRUIT of this haw, unlike other Texas haws, matures in late April or May. After the fruit is gone, it is more difficult to distinguish it from other haws. It is of low, spreading habit, sometimes becoming a tree 20 to 30 feet high and about a foot in diameter. ”

“ The American standard of living depends to no small extent on the care with which we use our forest resource. Fortunately, trees are a renewable resource. They can be grown as a crop and harvested in such a way that the stand is kept productive, and a steady supply of forest products is assured. ”

“ The nut itself is black with a very hard, thick, finely ridged shell, enclosing a rich, oily, edible kernel.
The HEARTWOOD is heavy, hard and strong. Its rich chocolate-brown color, freedom from warping, and checking, susceptibility to a high polish, and durability make it highly prized for furniture and cabinet work and gunstocks. Walnut is easily propagated from the nuts, and should be more widely planted and grown for timber and nuts.
LITTLE WALNUT or TEXAS WALNUT (Juglans microcarpa Berlandier) is found on limestone banks of streams in western Texas. The stumps supply a beautiful veneer. ”

“ Trees have played an important role in the history of the United States. Timber was our nation’s first export. The forest also provided our forefathers with their homes, farm implements, rifle stocks and wagons. ”

“ Wood Identification of trees by wood forms a separate study but often field identification of trees can be aided by observation of distinctive points about the wood such as color, taste and general structure. 11. Habitat An interesting and often useful help in tree identification is to note the growing habits of trees, whether in dry or moist places, what other species same type sites, whether it grows better in open places or in more sheltered locations and the like. ”

“ The WOOD is reddish-brown with yellowish sapwood, moderately heavy, hard, strong, fine-grained, and does not warp or split in seasoning. With the exception of black walnut, cherry lumber has a greater unit value than any other hardwood of the eastern United States. Cherry is prized for furniture.
The SOUTHWESTERN BLACK CHERRY, Prunus serotina var. rufula (Woot. and Standl.) McVaugh is found in the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas. At least five other cherry species are native to Texas. All have shrubby growth. ”

“ Slash pine is not a native of Texas, its natural range in the United States being along the coast from South Carolina to eastern Louisiana. The initial planting of slash pine in East Texas was made on the E. O. Siecke State Forest near Kirbyville in 1926. ”

“ The species is not native to any other section of the United States.
125 TREE OF HEAVEN
(Ailanthus altissima [Mill.] Swingle) is native to the Orient but has been introduced to this country where it has grown wild and occurs generally throughout Texas. The long, pinnately compound leaves, 24 to 48 inches long, with 11 to 41 leaflets, are glandular toothed at the base. The flowers and bruised leaves have a disagreeable odor. The tree is fast growing and spreads by suckers as well as by seed. ”

“ If possible collect for reference and further study samples of leaves, twigs, bark, wood, flowers and fruit. BE CAREFUL in collecting samples. It is better not to have samples than to deface or injure the tree. No one will object to your studying their trees if you do no damage. ”

“ The range of this famous American shade tree extends west to the Dakotas and southward to Coke County, Texas. Within this vast area, it is generally common except in the high mountains and wet bottomlands. It reaches an average height of 60 feet and a diameter of 3 feet. The BARK is dark gray, divided into irregular flat-topped, thick ridges, and is generally firm. An incision into an outer ridge of bark will show alternate brown and cream colored layers. A cross section of slippery elm bark is uniformly cream or tan colored. ”