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A large-scale artificial intelligence data center appears to be planned for 1,041 acres at the site of the former Southerland Paper Mill in Lufkin near Paper Mill Creek. Verdant Industries, LLC, and Verdant Industries Realty, LLC, granted Amp Z Champion Data Center Holdings LLC the right to purchase the property. Amp Z in turn said it is leading the development of a gigawatt-scale data center campus built to serve hyperscale users with both immediate electrical capacity and room for future expansion. The city of Lufkin said the project could represent an estimated $1.05 billion in private capital investment and could support about 500 construction jobs over four plus years and about 30 full-time operational positions when completed. The site has an electric substation capable of delivering 55 megawatts of power with plans to scale be-yond 2.1 giga watts through a combination of utility service and onsite generation by 2029. The company also says the site has access to about 20 million gallons of water per day. According to the city, project representatives estimate the facility would use approximately 500 gallons per day, comparable to the usage of three homes. Mayor Mark Hicks said that the proposal was a once-in-a lifetime project for Angelina County with a billion-dollar investment. He said that Angelina County has access to so much water and they could make use of it. He also mentioned that the city could sell water to the company. Company material mentions the site is an unincorporated portion of the county with no building code or zoning restrictions. Amp Z says the property is eligible for opportunity zone incentives, Foreign Trade Zone designation and potential Texas data center tax abatements. The growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) necessitates the building of large data centers with computer servers that process, store, and distribute digital information. These facilities, in turn, require large amounts of electricity and water. While there are regulations regarding developers connecting to the electrical grid, there is less over-sight for draining the aquifers. Some East Texas counties have concerns about data centers that high-volume industrial users could deplete our water resource that is more plentiful in the eastern part of our state. Rural communities are especially vulnerable to attempts to pump large quantities of water from a limited aquifer.
Last year Henderson, Anderson, and Cherokee County (Neches and Trinity Valley Groundwater Conservation District) contested permits for Kyle Bass’ 43 wells on the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer. Houston County also has concerns, but has no groundwater conservation district. The goal reportedly is to pump up to 15 billion gallons of water annually to export water to Dallas/Fort Worth. Mr. Bass, CEO of Conservation Equity Management, argues that the project is necessary to address state water shortages. This fall, however, a court-approved settlement paused the issuance of large-volume permits until additional aquifer studies are completed. Back in February, Van Zandt County Commissioners unanimously passed a temporary moratorium halting permitting, construction, and related activities for proposed solar, wind, and battery energy storage projects. This pause is reliant on Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Investigation launched in November 2025 into risks from CCP-aligned (Communist Party of China) foreign components . CATL batteries, for instance, might threaten the grid and public safety. CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited) is the world’s largest EV battery producer. EXPLODING TREES
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While there has been much concern regarding the population decline of the monarch butterfly, most of the research has focused on the habitat loss in the breeding ground of the Midwest. Since there is limited information on how environment changes in Texas and Mexico have affected monarch survival during their fall and spring migration, re-searchers from several universities recently studied land use changes, climate changes, milkweed populations, as well as reductions in other nectar-producing plants to find their influences on monarch population declines. The researchers examined 30 years of satellite data to determine changes in temperature, rainfall, and plant growth on the migration route. Despite increased urbanization along I-35, landscape changes were minimal compared to the Mid-West and the study concluded that habitat loss in Texas and Mexico was not a major influence on the decline of the butterfly. Nevertheless, planting native milkweed is still recommended to benefit the migration route of the monarch butterfly.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has acquired approximately 6,900 acres in Anderson County which will become the Trinity River Wildlife Management Area. This Wildlife Management Area (RWM) is an addition to the Middle Trinity River Ecosystem Project
Texas Forestry May/June 2025 p 2, 6 Post Oak Savannah Wildlifer June 2025 TFS News 6/27/25 which includes Gus Engeling, Richland Creek, Big Lake Bottom, and Keechi Creek WMA’s, together encompassing more than 38,000 acres in East Texas. The new purchase adds 11.3 miles of Trinity River frontage, giving a new total of 25 miles of frontage, providing an important corridor for migratory birds. The purchase was financed primarily by a portion of the Texas state legislature’s appropriation of $10 million in Migratory Game Bird Stamp Funds and a grant to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation from the Knobloch Family Foundation, together as a match for a Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Wetland restoration and creation, along with rebuilding bottomland hardwood, is TPWD’s top priority for the new acquisition. Prairie restoration will be implemented on the upland acres in the northern portion of the property and recreational opportunities – such as hunting, fishing, camping and bird watching – will be available to the public when appropriate. According to an article by ResourceWise (April 7, 2025), the value of an acre of timber is dependent upon four major factors:
Location and Proximity to Mills – The closer the timber is to the mill the lower the trans-portation cost. Timber Type and Age – Managed pine plantations, typically clearcut at age 25-35, may yield 80-105 tons per acre, with sawtimber (12”+ DBH) yielding the highest returns. Natural mixed stands are often denser with 90-110 tons per acre. Harvest Methods – Clearcuts maximize the per acre revenue, but thinnings provide earlier cash flows with lower yields. Thinnings of young pine plantations (16-20 years old) with 30-50 tons per acre of mostly pulpwood and chip’n’saw typically command less than 21-25 year old stands with more, and larger, sawtimber and chip’n’saw. Natural pine thinnings may yield 40-60 tons per acre. Market Trends – Demand for timber products fluctuates with construction cycles and pa-per production. Based on 2022-2024 stumpage prices, the article states that a 100-acre pine plantation in the U.S. South at 26+ years old, might yield $211,100 - $227,500 from a clearcut. Thinned at 21-25 years, it would typically bring $53,800 - $90,400. A 100-acre natural stand might yield $196,000 - $216,800 with thinnings at $66,400 - $75,700. Soil quality, accessibility, mill proximity, etc. could significantly adjust these dollar amounts. The I.D. Fairchild State Forest in Cherokee County had its Centennial Celebration in April. The program included a demonstration of shortleaf pine management, as well as talks on native grasses, Eastern wild turkey and red-cockaded woodpeckers. Jason Ellis (Texas A&M Forest Service and Reuben Gay (Texas Park and Wildlife) shared their expertise on shortleaf pine management from both a timber and wildlife standpoint.
The Texas A&M Forest Service thinned a mature shortleaf pine stand on the State Forest, leaving trees about 70 feet apart on a grid pattern to produce natural regeneration. The demonstration forest provides an alternative to the more costly artificial regeneration. While shortleaf has slower growth than loblolly pine, it is less susceptible to freezing rain that tends to snap loblolly’s branches. Its wood is also denser than that of loblolly pine. Shortleaf, however, doesn’t self-prune as well as loblolly, but prescribed burning can encourage natural pruning and shortleaf is more fire tolerant than loblolly. Its columnar crown is less spreading than loblolly, allowing more light to reach the ground to produce more understory vegetation, serving as natural food plots. Properly maintained shortleaf forests can produce good habitat for song birds, turkeys, deer, and other wildlife. Even when they die, the dead trees can provide dwelling cavities for wildlife. So shortleaf can be a viable alternative to loblolly pine for both timber production and wildlife management. The key, I believe, is to match the tree species to the site qualities. Check your soil survey! While we historically thought that tree height in our pine plantations was independent of the planting density, recent research by the Texas A&M Forest Service (TAMFS) seems to indicate otherwise at low density spacing. So although tree height is unaffected by high densities between 700 or 800 tress per acre, the TFS found that the tree height was influenced by the spacing when they compared their data from plantings varying from 300 to 500 plus trees per acre.
The TAMFS planted four densities of control mass pollinator (both parent tree sources are known) loblolly pine at Fairchild State Forest in 2018: 360 (10’ X 12’), 435 (10’ X 10’), 545 (10’ X 8’) and 726 (10’ X 6’) trees per acre. While the 435 and 726 densities had a total height of about 27-28’ in 2024, the 545 spacing had a total height of over 29’ and the 360 spacing had a total height of a bit over 30’. The research results, however, were influenced by a large volume of volunteer pines that seeded in from the adjoining natural stand. www.FS.USDA.gov While further research is needed to duplicate these studies, this project is opening a discussion regarding whether our standard 726 trees per acre plantings are excessive. The average diameter at breast height (dbh) was greater at the lower densities, but total volume per acre is dependent on survival and survival is most crucial in the lower density plantings. So will the TAMFS lower their planting density recommendations in the future. Time (and more research) will tell! Eric Wannlund gave a talk on “Climate Smart Pine Establishment” at the sustainable Forestry Initiative® program in Palestine in November. Eric, a staff forester with the Texas A&M Forest Service in College Station, talked about growing pine at lower density.
Historically we have planted about 726 pine seedlings per acre to produce maximum fiber with the first thinning being primarily pulpwood. Now with a soft pine pulpwood market, it is difficult to market first thinnings. Eric mentioned the trend towards lower density plantings of 300-500 trees per acre to produce maximum sawtimber and minimum pulpwood. Also, since there are fewer rows, planting costs are cheaper. Knots are usually not significant until spacing is lowered to 150 trees per acre, but to reduce the chance of excessive branching, Eric says to use quality seedlings, which produce a more narrow crown. Eric quoted a study in Louisiana that showed successful plantings of 200-300 seedlings per acre, 200 being the best. Containerized seedlings are needed for better survival, which is crucial in low density plantings, especially on droughty sites. Planting was recommended as soon as moisture is available in the fall. Planting in October through mid-February, however, resulted in improved diameter and height growth. Planting is best when the temperature is 35°-50° F, relative humidity is 74%, and windspeed is 10 m.p.h. avoiding sunny, windy days. Eric reminded that lower density spacing makes the trees less susceptible to the southern pine beetles as well as avoiding a precommercial thinning. The first thinning is delayed until there is a minimal pulpwood component. The U.S. Forest Service, through its’ Forest Legacy Program (FLP) has included the Big Thicket Neches River Corridor Project in Hardin, Jasper, and Orange counties in its funding. This covers 39,762 acres of private forest along 63 miles of the Neches River. A conservation easement will provide a buffer for the Big Thicket National Preserve’s federally protected river corridor managed by the National Park Service.
The FLP is a conservation program of the U.S. Forest Service in partnership with state agencies which encourages the protection of privately owned forest lands through conservation easements or land purchases. The Sierra Clob has sought protection for the Neches River for 50 years. The Texas Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy, and the Conservation Fund were also participants in the project. In a recent article in the Texas Forestry magazine (May/June 2024), Alan Shadow with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) highlighted NRCS special conservation initiatives such as the longleaf pine initiative and the shortleaf pine initiative that assist forest landowners to support healthy forests which are more resilient to wildfires, disease and high wind events.
While most of our East Texas planted forest is in faster growing loblolly pine, loblolly pine cannot tolerate fire in the early part of its life cycle. As a result, large portions of our forests are in dense loblolly stands with thick midstory hardwood species that reduce the sunlight for germinating seedlings and create heavy fuel loads that make prescribed burning difficult. Prescribed fire also benefits white-tailed deer, quail, and turkey habitat. For more information on these NRCS special initiatives, visit www.usda.nrcs.gov/texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) received confirmation of one case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in a Trinity County deer breeding facility, the first detection in the county.
A two-year-old white-tailed deer tested positive on a postmortem testing conducted for CWD surveillance requirements for the facility. The Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) analyzed the samples, and the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Iowa confirmed the CWD detections. CWD is a fatal neurological disease found in certain cervids, including deer, elk, and moose. It is a slow, progressive disease that may not produce visible signs for years after infection. Signs of the disease include progressive weight loss, stumbling or tremors, loss of appetite, teeth grinding, abnormal head posture, and/ or drooping ears, and excessive thirst, salivation or urination. The disease was first discovered in Texas in 2012 in free-ranging mule deer in the Hueco Mountains near the Texas- New Mexico border. It has since been detected in the Texas captive and free-ranging cervids, including white-tailed deer, mule deer, red deer, and elks. Deer breeders are required to report mortalities within seven days of detection and submit CWD test samples within seven days of collection. |
AuthorGary Allen Burns Archives
May 2026
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