Bastrop Wildfire Artifacts

In September 2011, winds from Tropical Storm Lee knocked trees into powerlines, sparking a wildfire in Bastrop. The fire burned 32,400 acres over 55 days, consumed 1,696 structures, and killed two people.

Bastrop State Park, run by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), was 96 percent burned in the 2011 wildfire. TPWD wildland firefighters, TPWD staff, and others battled the blaze that burned plants, wildlife, infrastructure, and equipment within the 6,565 acre park. The TPWD received a shipment of six new Ford trucks just days before the fire started. Aluminum from the radiators melted and became liquid from the heat of the fire, leaving trails of melted aluminum, called tailings, on the ground. The firefighters were able to save the historic buildings within the park but other structures burned including a sign meant to warn visitors of the high fire danger within the park. Recovered by TPWD staff, the aluminum tailings and fire sign are a tangible reminder of the fire’s intensity.

The fire did severe damage to the Lost Pines ecosystem — an isolated area of loblolly pines and the habitat of the endangered Houston toad. This pocket of loblolly pines is separated by 100 miles from East Texas’s Piney Woods region. They are genetically unique and have evolved to exist on 30 percent less rainfall compared to East Texas pines. The endangered Houston toad has a small range, covering parts of nine counties. It requires very specific environmental conditions to survive, which include forested areas with loblolly pines. The damage to the Lost Pines ecosystem dealt a severe blow to both the Houston toad and the unique loblolly pines.

Within Bastrop State Park, recovery efforts continue today. In July 2017, the Safe Harbor Agreement was put in place. This agreement encourages landowners to undertake conservation actions to assist in the Houston toad’s recovery. Planting of new loblolly pines began in 2013. Ongoing prescribed burnings remove fuel for new wildfires and help keep oak trees in check so that the pines can flourish. Hydromulch — a slurry made of native grass seed, straw, and water — is put down to help control erosion. Bastrop State Park has become a “living laboratory” where scientists study the fire’s effects on vegetation and wildlife to help further wildfire education and recovery. It will take a generation or more for the Lost Pines ecosystem to recover from the catastrophic 2011 wildfire.