Piney Woods, WWF ecoregion in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma, United States.
Piney Woods is an ecoregion in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma that covers pine forests, hardwood swamps, and wetlands. The region stretches across several hundred miles and connects different forest types with river corridors and open water bodies.
The Piney Woods' densest section was the Big Thicket, which the lumber industry reduced sharply during the 19th and 20th centuries. The World Wide Fund for Nature now lists the ecoregion as critically endangered. In Arkansas the same region is sometimes called the Arkansas Timberlands.
In Arkansas the region is also called the Arkansas Timberlands, a name tied to its lumbering past. The Big Thicket, once the densest part of the forest, lost much of its cover to the lumber industry in the 19th and 20th centuries. Visitors can still see pines, hickories, and oaks along the roadsides.
State parks across all four states offer starting points for hikes and wildlife watching in any season. Trails and facilities vary by location, but most areas are suitable for day trips and multi-day camping stays.
Longleaf pines can live over 400 years and form open forests where frequent fires keep the undergrowth low. This natural cycle allows rare ground flowers and grass-like plants to thrive between the tall trunks.
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