National forests still dealing with Rita destruction

Some 14 months after Hurricane Rita blew through East Texas, the National Forests in Texas continue to deal with the destruction left in the hurricane's wake.

"Our employees have worked above and beyond the call of duty to make certain recreation areas are safe for visitors," Forest Supervisor Fred Salinas said. "Even though we are doing everything we can to take out hazard trees, we continue to caution visitors to be extremely careful in the forest around fallen limbs and uprooted trees."

The Angelina and Sabine National Forests combined to salvage log about 27,000 acres. There were 28 salvage sales on the Angelina and Sabine resulting in 186,000 tons of timber hauled. The value of these sales was $2.5 million.

The spillway built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s on Boykin Lake is heavily damaged and will have to be reengineered and rebuilt.

Some 240 Red- Cockaded Woodpecker inserts have been installed to replace nest cavities damaged by the hurricane winds. It is anticipated that more trees will be lost due to stress and insect infestation. Almost 4,000 acres have been assessed since December 2005.

The status of recreation areas in the four national