The groundbreaking ceremony marks a significant investment in East Texas emergency response capabilities and forest stewardship. The new facility is designed to provide modernized infrastructure to support wildfire response, incident management and natural resource assistance throughout the region.
Texas A&M Forest Service, joined by officials from The Texas A&M University System, Texas A&M AgriLife, state elected officials and local community leaders, broke ground July 1 on a new regional office in Nacogdoches.
The groundbreaking ceremony marks a significant investment in East Texas emergency response capabilities and forest stewardship. The new facility is designed to provide modernized infrastructure to support wildfire response, incident management and natural resource assistance throughout the region.
The Nacogdoches County facility is part of a series of strategic capital investments across the state. Funding for the project includes a $1.8 million investment from the Permanent University Fund through The Texas A&M University System.
“Texas A&M Forest Service does practical, steady work that protects people, property and natural resources across this state,” said Chancellor Glenn Hegar. “This new facility gives the Nacogdoches team a permanent home base that fits the work they are already doing so well. It is not flashy. It is useful. And when you are helping communities prepare for fires, storms and other hard days, useful matters.”
The new facility will be constructed at 428 NE Stallings Drive in Nacogdoches. Construction is expected to be completed within 12 months.
“With the increasing demands of emergency response in Texas, we need to give our people the infrastructure to meet those demands.” Al Davis, director of Texas A&M Forest Service.
“As we’ve worked side-by-side with members of this community, we’ve built partnerships with Nacogdoches County and the City of Nacogdoches,” Davis said. “With the help of the Texas A&M University System and the Texas Legislature, we are able to finally put down some more permanent roots here with the construction of this new building. Our partners at AgriLife have also dedicated some of their resources and expertise to help with the construction process.”
The new Texas A&M Forest Service facility will enhance operational readiness with strategically placed personnel, equipment and resources to support wildfire response and emergency operations across East Texas. The facility will also serve as a regional hub for forest stewardship, landowner assistance and community outreach.
East Texas represents a critical area for the agency’s mission. The region contains some of the state’s most productive forests and supports a significant forest products industry while also facing increasing wildfire risk due to population growth and development within the wildland-urban interface.
From 2021 through 2025, Texas A&M Forest Service responded to 102 wildfires in Nacogdoches County, suppressing fires that burned 1,174 acres and saving 78 structures valued at approximately $14 million. During that same period, the agency provided $2.8 million in financial assistance to communities, fire departments and landowners, measured 80 Forest Inventory Analysis plots representing approximately 480,000 acres and delivered education and training to nearly 6,900 people.
“We have outgrown the current Nacogdoches office, established in 1977,” said Billy Whitworth, area operations chief. “Over the years, Texas A&M Forest Service has had many changes. Today, whether it is working with a local landowner interested in managing their forestland, educating the next generation about forest conservation and wildfire prevention, or serving as the lead wildfire response agency for the state, we are here to conserve, protect, and lead with integrity.”
Article source and photo credit: Savanna Montgomery, Communications Specialist – Texas A&M Forest Service Communications
