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[Roger Dolle] We were looking at flame lengths that were 300 feet in the air and the smoke
plumes were just full of fire and embers. We figured ...there's no stopping this fire.
[Narration] Labor Day weekend, 2011, raging wildfire destroyed
more homes than any other in Texas history, and it wiped out much of the historic lost
pines habitat in Bastrop County.
((Fire roars)) [Man] The only way I can describe it, it was
like Satan was coming out of the ground.
[Narration] The Bastrop complex fires burned about thirty
two thousand acres, including 95-percent of Bastrop State Park.
[Narration] One year later, with massive support from
park staff, contractors and volunteers, all campgrounds and cabins plus more than three-quarters
of the park trails are back open to the public.
[Dolle] A lot has come back. It's kind of amazing how Mother Nature has rejuvenated
a lot of this park. We have a lot of natural regeneration of pine seedlings out there.
[Narration] But more help is needed.
[Carter Smith] Today we are announcing a campaign to restore
the Lost Pines one tree at a time.
[Narration] Texas Parks and Wildlife, the Arbor Day Foundation
and Texas A&M Forest Service are launching the Lost Pines Forest Recovery Campaign. The
goal is to raise money to buy and plant trees to restore the burned area both in the park
and on private land over the next five years.
[Dan Lambe] Today, as we launch the Lost Pines Forest
Recovery campaign, we're launching a new website where the public can go and learn more about
and engage in this campaign through making a personal donation or signing up to volunteer
to plant trees.
[Dolle] As good stewards of the forest, we don't want to put all of the trees in the
ground in one year and then have the trees die from an extended drought. So over the
next five years, we're going to be planting trees every winter and hoping that these generations
of trees will root and replace the pine trees.
[Narration] And loyal visitors can have the Lost Pines
they love back.
[Dolle] Turns out that one year later, we got people coming back for all the reasons
they were coming before the fire. They're coming out for family reunions, their gatherings,
camping trips, come stay in the cabins so they're not here because of the fire, they're
here because Bastrop State Park is still here.
[Narraion] For Texas Parks and Wildlife, this is Abe
Moore.