Forestry representatives urge Angelina County to table proposed road-use permit, say it would single out timber haulers

Speakers representing Texas forestry groups urged the Angelina County Commissioners Court on Tuesday to table a proposed road-use and damage-repair permit, calling it discriminatory toward timber haulers and potentially unenforceable.

Dave Duran, who said he was speaking on behalf of the Texas forestry industry and the Texas Logging Council and the Texas Forestry Association, told the court the proposed agreement “signals out log trucks and logging related traffic” by requiring permits and potential financial responsibility for road maintenance. “This selective enforcement places an undue burden on the forest sector and creates an uneven playing field,” Duran said.

The concern, he said, is that other agricultural sectors—“cattle haulers, grain transporters and hay producers”—would not face the same level of scrutiny. Duran warned the permit could “make small and independent contractors particularly vulnerable” and “threaten their livelihood and ability to operate efficiently.” He also said state-issued permits should preempt local rules: “State issued permits supersede local authority,” and he cautioned that adopting duplicative local permits could prompt costly litigation.

David Alders, president of the Texas Forestry Association, told the court the industry depends on timely transport to mills and processors and said the proposal’s 14-day notice requirement would be impractical for loggers. “We live in an area where the weather is constantly changing ... they have to move at the spur of the moment,” Alders said, describing tight profit margins and the need to shift crews on short notice. He asked the court to “table the item and visit with the Texas Logging Council and other folks to figure out an approach that’s amenable to all parties.”

Both speakers requested collaborative work on voluntary best practices and infrastructure planning rather than immediate enforcement. Duran cited the November 2023 constitutional amendment known as Proposition 1, saying speakers view timber hauling as protected in practice; Alders said state permit revenues are shared with counties and that he knows of no other East Texas county that imposes an independent fee outside the state permit system.

The public comments closed with industry figures emphasizing the economic importance of forestry to the county: “Texas forests are a $40,000,000,000 industry,” Duran said, and asked commissioners to avoid rules that would “punish” that sector. County officials did not take action on the road-use/damage-repair agreement during the public-comment period; later in the meeting the court’s agenda item for the road permit/damage-repair agreement was deferred for further study while the court took up a separate permit for installation of pipe and utility lines.

The court moved the road-damage-permit proposal to further review and directed staff to solicit additional stakeholder input before any action.