Fire in the Piney Woods : Texas Lookout Towers, the Forest Service, and the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cavallerano, Edward.

Series:

The Texas Experience, Books Made Possible by Sarah '84 and Mark '77 Philpy Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Civilian Conservation Corps (U.S.)--History.

Civilian Conservation Corps (U.S.).

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (0 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

College Station : Texas A&M University Press, 2025.

Summary:

Fire lookout towers are enjoying a retrospective rebirth, attracting the curious and the adventurous, as Americans seeking escape for moments of solitude rediscover the structures' national significance. Though the Civilian Conservation Corps' national fire control policies and reforestation efforts have been covered elsewhere, each state's legacy is as unique as its people, forest conditions, traditions, and legislative history. In Texas, what emerges is a story that shaped national policies and examines the ethos of a generation. Edward Cavallerano's Fire in the Piney Woods develops several parallel stories. The first describes the Piney Woods and the antecedent conditions that necessitated fire prevention, forest fire detection, and the development of Texas' fire lookout network. Second, through collected stories, poetry, and primary accounts, it pays tribute to a generation of Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees, foresters, surveyors, and dedicated, self-sufficient lookouts who redeveloped or protected the forestlands of Texas and educated rural communities about the value of their natural resources. Finally, it describes the location and design of the lookout towers and associated structures in Texas by consolidating a decade of observations. In this effort, Cavallerano introduces methodologies to assess tower characteristics that may be useful to workers in other regions. Taken together, the book shares an appreciation of the past and celebrates the heritage these sites still possess. Fire in the Piney Woods preserves the history of forest fire protection in Texas, enhances readers' recreational experiences, and builds a compelling case among Texans to preserve the lookout towers that still stand.

Contents:

Cover

Half-title

Title Page

Copyright

Contents

Acknowledgments

A Note on Nomenclature and Field Ethics

Introduction

1. The Breaking Wave: Forestry in Texas

The Timber Problem: The Future Is Forbidding

Awakening Conservation Consciousness

The Careless Habit

2. Neutral Ground: Geography and Climate

Dissecting the Piney Woods

Fire Season

3. Forest Protection and Fire Control

Tools of the Trade

Fixed Point Detection: The "Eyes of the Forest"

O. C. (Oley Cecil) Braly

Reconstructing the Network

Nonproductive Time

Seen Area

4. Cussed and Discussed: The 1920s

5. Come Up Sometime: The 1930s

Texas National Forests

Camp Segregation

Pioneering Units

University of the Woods

Building the Core Network: 1934

Extending the Core Network: 1936

Firefighting

Planting

Mapping: Visibility Surveys, Geography, and Forest Types

The Lookout Yard: Forest Infrastructure and Forest Improvements

6. Chestley Dickens and Betty Huffman: The 1940s

Aircraft Warning Service

"Emergency" Roles for Women

Administrative Changes

Best and Worst Fire Years

Albert D. Folweiler

7. Guardians of the Piney Woods: The 1950s

Lookout! Deaths and Near Misses

Employment Opportunities

Reliance on Air Patrols

Uncertainty and Renovations on Texas National Forests

8. Unit 308: The 1960s

Maintenance and Network Expansion

"A Crewleader's Wife"

Looking Ahead in Fire Control

9. A Lot of Smoke but No Fire: The 1970s

Mr. Dependability and Other Remaining Old Hands

10. Potshots or Pearls: The 1980s

11. Epilogue

Appendices

1. Beaumont Quadrangle

2. Palestine Quadrangle

3. Tyler Quadrangle

4. Texarkana Quadrangle

5. Lost Pines

6. Pier Dimensions

Notes

Index.

Notes:

Electronic book.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-64843-282-4

OCLC:

1521527476