Texas - East Texas Plant Materials Center

The East Texas Plant Materials Center (ETPMC) was established in 1982 as a joint venture of the Deep East and Northeast Texas Association of Conservation Districts and the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU).  It was originally located on the SFASU Beef Farm, and in 1987 the center was moved to its current location on the US Forest Service Stephen F. Austin Experimental Forest.  The mission of the ETPMC is to develop plant-based solutions for conservation needs in the Western Coastal Plain.

The ETPMC has a diverse service area covering 44 million acres in East Texas, Northwest Louisiana, Southwest Arkansas, and Southeast Oklahoma.  It is comprised of bottomland hardwoods, upland pine forests, croplands, and rangelands.  Major resource concerns include primarily soil health, water quality improvement, declining longleaf and shortleaf pine ecosystems, wildlife habitat improvement, and degraded pastureland.  These resource concerns are addressed through the selection of native plants, plant-based technology development, and education through public outreach.

The ETPMC has 8 active plant releases and is currently focused on development of understory species for longleaf and shortleaf pine habitat restoration.

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