The Texas forest industry continues on a steady trajectory thanks to ongoing demand for new housing and construction, as well as other manufacturing sectors that rely on renewable wood fibers, said a Texas A&M Forest Service expert. While Texas is home to more than 55 million acres of forestland, it is the roughly 12 million acres of timber-producing pine forests across 43 East Texas counties that fuel the state’s forest industry. Aaron Stottlemyer, department head at the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences said around 85 sawmills currently operate in Texas, transforming raw timber into products like dimensional lumber, plywood and oriented strand board. …Although primary forest products may be the most recognizable elements of the industry, Stottlemyer said Texas’ secondary forest products manufacturing sector is exceptionally important and provides stability from fluctuations in the housing market that affect demand for solid wood products such as lumber and panel.