Roy E. Larsen Sandyland Sanctuary
Forest Trail Region
This 5,600-acre ecologically diverse preserve is managed by the Nature Conservancy of Texas. Various forest and wetland communities intermingle in this part of the Big Thicket region.The Roy E. Larsen Sandyland Sanctuary is a rare combination of swamp, open-floor forest and Southern pinelands. The preserve—located in the Piney Woods of East Texas—sustains 234 animal species and 582 plant species, including one of the last remaining longleaf pine communities in Texas. Longleaf pine forests are among the most rapidly disappearing ecosystems in the southeastern United States. The sanctuary is part of a comprehensive effort to protect and restore the longleaf pine ecosystem on the West Gulf Coast.