Howdy! The Texas Society of American Foresters (TSAF) is one of 30 state and multi-state societies that make up the Society of American Foresters, an organization of professional foresters dedicated to the advancement of the science and practice of forestry. Texas is a large and diverse state. It encompasses 267 thousand square miles...that's more than 171 million acres. Texas stretches 773 miles from east to west and 860 miles from north to south. Most imagine nostalgic images of cowboys on the open range when they speak of Texas. Many might be surprised to discover that the eastern most region of Texas (24 million acres or so) contains nearly 12 million acres of timberland affectionately called the Pineywoods. Wood from the Pineywoods has helped to build the nation and, in fact, is exported throughout the world. The forest of Texas are now looked upon to help meet the nation's demand for energy, transportation fuels and bio-based products. In 1925. The Gulf States Section of the Society of American Foresters was formed which include Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. In 1980, with the dissolution of the Gulf States Section, the Texas Society of Foresters was chartered. Over 350 professionals from a variety of disciplines and business sectors, academia, industry, public agencies, NGOs, and private consulting firms are members of TxSAF. With the increasing numerous demands placed on traditional and nontraditional forest in Texas, it is TSAF's goal to ensure that science-based, sustainable forestry, urban forestry, WUI, and woodlands management options are practiced to ensure that future generations will benefit as much or more than the current generation.