The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB) and the Association of Texas Soil & Water Conservation Districts are joining organizations across the state in a campaign to highlight Soil and Water Stewardship Week and the importance of voluntary land stewardship in Texas.
The statewide campaign is April 28 through May 5, 2024, and the focus this year is “May the Forest Be With You Always.”
Forests contribute immeasurably to the well-being of communities, state, and the planet. Beyond producing oxygen and storing carbon, as well as being havens for biodiversity, forests play a crucial role in safeguarding our soil and water resources.
They stand as protectors, preventing erosion, filtering contaminants, and fostering healthy watersheds. This year’s theme invites us to appreciate the intricate relationship between soil, water, and the abundant forests that shape our Texas landscape.
Forest landowners work closely with their local Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) and the Texas A&M Forest Service (TFS) to implement conservation practices that promote the health and sustainability of forests and forest ecosystems.
Since 1939, the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB) and SWCDs across the state have worked to encourage responsible natural resource management. The collaborative efforts of TSSWCB, SWCDs, the Texas A&M Forest Service, and their conservation partners are in developing strategies to protect and conserve soil and water resources.
Their goal is to shine a light on the forestry industry’s integral role in tandem with agriculture. The collaboration between these sectors is for maintaining the health of the soil, water, and forests. Recognizing their relationship is a step towards fostering sustainable practices that benefit all.
Privately-owned forests contribute significantly to the Texas economy and provide environmental and social benefits. Essential products made from trees include paper products, the lumber that built homes and even household items such as toothpaste, medicines and dyes. Trees also offer habitat and food to birds, insects, lichen, fungi, mammals, and reptiles. Finally, trees increase the quality of life through a relaxing effect, reducing stress.
In Texas, 11.7 million people get their clean surface drinking water from forests and as stewards of these precious natural resources. This campaign aims to bring more awareness and support to voluntary land stewardship because the way resources on private lands are managed directly impacts natural resources.
Partnering organizations in the “May the Forest Be With You Always,” campaign includes Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas, AgriLife Extension, Ducks Unlimited, Plains Cotton Growers, Texan By Nature, Texas A&M Forest Service, Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, Texas Agricultural Cooperative Council, Texas Association of Dairymen, Texas Conservation Association for Soil and Water, Texas Farm Bureau, Texas Forestry Association, Texas Hemp Coalition, Texas Poultry Federation, Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association, Texas Water Resource Institute, Texas Watershed Steward Program, Texas Wildlife Association, The Nature Conservancy, Upper Trinity Conservation Trust, and USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Water Grows.