Cattle, whose long-term return has proven to be poor in the last decade, does offer a yearly cash flow. A silvopasture system can be developed from a pasture system with the trees incorporated into the open fields. Also, it can be developed from a forest plantation, with the forage incorporated into the plantation following a thinning to reduce tree canopy. Included in the program were new ideas for businesses, based on innovative technology, integrating timber production with other enterprises, and turning an entrepreneurial concept into a money making reality. Examples included growing watermelons and pines together, harvesting and marketing pine straw, and identifying medicinal plants native to East Texas forests.
Forestry accounts for a large portion of agricultural income in East Texas.
Though short approximately 30 million pine seedlings because to the severe drought that hit Texas last summer, commercial foresters still planted more than 47 million trees on East Texas lands during the 1999 planting season. Non-industrial private forest landowners, who own 7.2 million acres in East Texas, planted 35 million trees. The field day was coordinated by Dr. Eric L. Taylor, assistant professor and Extension forestry specialist, and Dr. Greg M. Clary, professor and Extension economist. Both Taylor and Clary have information on their Web sites relating to entrepreneurship and forestry.