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LONG LEAF PINE TRAIL, Polk County By Sally Alvis--April 9, 2008

Virgin forests of long leaf pines have gone the way of the horse and buggy. They do not exist except in those rare instances where a landowner or company intentionally spares them from the ax. Such is the case of the Long Leaf Trail in Polk County.

Foresters familiar with that tract of sandy land about three miles west of Camden on Farm Road 62 call this a case in point. W. T. Carter owned the land prior to the turn of the 20th century. In 1898 he established a sawmill at Camden and a railroad to service it. In the years that followed, most of the virgin pine forests were cut over--all of the long leaf pines practically wiped out. Wayne Foster, former District Manager for Champion International, the company that bought the Carter holdings, said "W. T. Carter had a soft spot in his heart for this particular tract of land in Polk County. The stand of virgin timber was close to the Camden mill. He'd pass it everyday and occasionally would use it as a 'ready reserve' to feed the mill when weather made harvesting elsewhere impossible. However, he refused to clear cut it. He realized it not only for its aesthetic value as a beautiful spot, but also that it was a pristine example of a virgin pine forest."

Forester Oscar Clayton adds to the story by saying that years later it was W. T. Carter and Brother's logging supervisor, N. B. Weatherford, who saved the trees. In 1974, Clayton's wife Joann interviewed Needham Weatherford for a research project. He told her, "At one time the whole country around Pine Grove was long leaf pine. I made a decision to leave that stand because it was the only stand I knew about still in existence." Many consider Weatherford, who worked for W. T. Carter in the mid 1960s to be "key" to preserving the century old trees.

When Champion International acquired W. T. Carter in the 1970s, it, too, honored the legacy of W. T. Carter. Champion designated the Long Leaf tract as one of its Special Places in the Forest. That distinction insured that the tract would be protected, preserved and managed in a way befitting its uniqueness. Champion created a trail that optimized the experience for hikers--showing both the hardwood bottom and the sandy lands where the great pines thrived. Champion also maintainted the trail as part of the Texas Forestry Association's Woodland Trails System. Forester Irving Grillot was instrumental in "laying out" the trail to optimize access to the three distinct habitats found on the property: Longleaf Pine Uplands, Mixed Pine-Hardwood Slope Forest, and Basket Oak Bottoms. He was W. T. Carter's sole forester. He continued his career with Champion International.

Through the years, Champion foresters maintained the trail and the interpretive signs and conducted tours for student groups and bird watching organizations. Birders in particular sought out the trail because it provided a habitat for the red cockaded woodpecker.