Township updates board on post‑storm tree removals, reforestation and proposed county‑median initiative

The Woodlands Township received a detailed update on March 20 about post‑storm tree removal, ongoing reforestation and a proposed initiative to plant trees on county‑owned medians and other rights of way.

John McGowan, Director of Parks and Recreation, told the board that 7,098 trees were removed in 2024 and that staff estimates roughly 860 of those removals were directly attributable to Hurricane Barrel. He said that prior to recent droughts and freezes the township’s annual tree removals averaged about 800 per year. McGowan described the township’s reforestation workflow—resident requests, reserve and park plantings, and vine removal—and described the department’s inspection and contractor-management processes.

Dr. Chris Nunes (staff) gave an expanded presentation on the township’s Integrated Forest Management Plan and on options to expand reforestation into medians within county and state rights of way. Dr. Nunes said the plan, first drafted in the late 1990s and adopted circa 2003, has been updated periodically and is currently under a 2025 update. He explained the community’s forest is composed of many narrow strips rather than a contiguous large forest, and that management practices therefore differ from state forests. Staff described categories—managed forest, maintained forest, manicured areas—and said typical township goals emphasize screening, buffers and visual corridor preservation.

Staff said the board expanded reforestation funding in recent years from around 3,000 trees annually to a larger program (staff cited 5,200 trees per year in recent budget adjustments and referenced planting targets of up to 6,000 trees in discussion). Staff also described an operational shift to more in‑house watering and follow‑up inspections and said that planting success rates improved when staff increased watering frequency.

Discussion from board members focused on three themes: (1) visible, high‑priority locations where dead trees and invasive vines create an “eyesore” at high‑traffic gateways (examples cited included Woodlands Parkway, Gosling, Research Forest and Lake Woodlands corridors); (2) staffing and budget trade‑offs required to expand scope into county-owned medians and rights of way (staff noted additional lane‑closure, traffic-control and permitting costs and that many medians are under county or TxDOT jurisdiction); and (3) balancing wildflower/pollinator plantings with tree plantings in certain corridor areas.

Dr. Nunes told the board that some county medians would require county approval, that Harris County and Montgomery County have different planting standards, and that TxDOT generally restricts median trees for sight‑line reasons. Staff asked for board direction about priorities; Chairman Brad Bailey and other directors requested a short list of five nearby, high‑visibility target areas so staff could obtain cost, permitting and staffing estimates and return with a plan and, if needed, a budget amendment.

Directors also pressed staff on stump‑removal timelines and the limits of contractor priorities: staff said stump grinding is inexpensive per stump but low priority for contractors when volume is high, and that the township has ordered additional equipment and is hiring to deploy in‑house resources for stump grinding and watering follow‑up. Staff noted that much of the reforestation and watering work uses overtime and that irrigation would be provided for some large planting sites, while many median plantings would be hand‑watered in the first one to two years.

The board accepted the report in a voice vote after discussion; staff will return with prioritized locations, cost estimates and any required permitting steps before expanding work into county‑owned medians.

Ending: Directors asked staff to compile five pilot locations and associated worst‑case cost estimates; staff said it would coordinate with county commissioners and provide a return presentation.