East Texas Plant Materials Center (ETPMC)
Serving areas in the States of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and East Texas
Established: 1982
Size: 75 acres
PMC Operation: NRCS
Land Ownership: United States Forest Service
The East Texas Plant Materials Center (ETPMC) in Nacogdoches, Texas provides plant solutions in southwestern Arkansas, northwestern Louisiana, southeastern Oklahoma, and east Texas. The topography is diverse ranging from flood plains and forestlands to prairies. Soils range from deep, coarse textured sands to heavy clay bottomlands. The Center was originally located on the Stephen F. Austin State University Beef Farm and was relocated to the University’s experimental forest in 1987.
The principle plant conservation problems are soil protection; enhanced production and water quality on degraded pasture, rangeland, and timberland; restoration and protection of surface-mined areas; and protection of frequently inundated bottoms, streambanks, saline and high water table soils. The Center develops technology for mining and timber reclamation, improving saline soils, protecting streambanks and wetlands, enhancing wildlife habitat, and improving range and pasturelands.
The East Texas Plant Materials Center has developed conservation plants including varieties for use in improving pasture lands and in enhancing wildlife habitat.
Highlights
DECLINING WILDLIFE HABITAT
Utilizing native plants for wildlife habitat improvement
- Forage and cover for a variety of game and non-game animals is provided by Harrison Germplasm Florida paspalum a warm season, perennial grass.
- Soil is enriched and rapid cover and protection are provided by Crockett Germplasm herbaceous mimosa, a warm-season, perennial legume. It provides browse, attracts a wide array of insects, and provides excellent bugging sites for large game birds such as turkeys.
- Cover, travel corridors, and foraging areas for many species of game birds are provided by splitbeard bluestem and little bluestem native, perennial bunch grasses.
ENERGY AND RESOURCE DEMANDS
Utilizing native warm season grasses for sustainable energy
- Cool-season legumes are evaluated as organic nitrogen sources for switchgrass to develop a production system for renewable energy with minimal fertility and water in inputs.
- Local ecotypes of switchgrass are evaluated for biomass production and forage quality.
- Indiangrass ecotypes are evaluated for tolerance to the rust pathogen.
- Indiangrass produces excellent forage, improves wildlife habitat, and has potential as an alternate biomass crop.
OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATION
Promote plant material programs and conservation
- Common Flora of East Texas Version I, is a plant identification training aid for NRCS field office personnel.
- Native Pollinator Plants of East Texas and the Western Coastal Plain is a handout that focuses on the importance of pollinator species and their declining habitat. It provides general information such as growing period, distribution, blooming dates, and planting information.
- Pollinators and Plant Materials is a power point presentation highlighting the role pollinators play in the production of agricultural resources and the plants and technology developed by the Plant Materials Program to conserve and create new habitat.
- Constructed Wetlands for On-Site Septic Treatment is a brochure focusing on the use and benefits of wetland plants for water quality improvement and the treatment of waste in an anaerobic septic system.
East Texas Plant Materials Center
6598 FM2782
Nacogdoches, TX 75964
Telephone: 936-564-4873
Fax: 936-552-7924
