Sam Houston NF

Good

Sam Houston NF in the East Texas Pineywoods, north of Houston. Loblolly and shortleaf pine with mixed hardwood drainages (sweetgum, beech, magnolia). Chanterelles abundant after summer rains; oysters on dead hardwoods year-round; chicken-of-the-woods on oaks.

Trees:Loblolly Pine Water Oak Sweetgum

Updated Oct 11, 5:11 AM MT

AI Conditions Report

AI-generated · verify in field

Sam Houston NF is graded Good: soil is at 75.2°F and has held above threshold all 7 of the last 7 days, there's no drought, and the moisture trigger is met. The limiter is marginal moisture. Only 0.83" fell in the past week (2.89" over 14 days), and soil VWC is sitting at 0.16 today against a 0.20 seven-day average, so the profile is drying down. The model flags nearly everything as viable, but in practice East Texas pineywoods in mid-October favor the warm-tolerant saprobes and mycorrhizals: chanterelles (including smooth), jack-o-lanterns, oyster and elm oyster on hardwood, chicken of the woods and beefsteak on oaks, plus stinkhorns, parasols, and inky caps in the disturbed or grassy edges. Several listed species (snow fungus, birch polypore, aspen oyster, and the waxcaps) are poor fits for this habitat, so don't chase them. The trend matters most over the next several days: if no rain arrives and VWC keeps sliding, ground fruiters like chanterelles will stall first, while wood-decay species hold on longer because logs retain moisture. A front delivering 0.5" or more would push this toward Excellent within 3-5 days. Hot tip: Hunt shaded north-facing drainages and creek-bottom oak and hardwood stands where soil moisture holds longest, and check the base of oaks and large rotting logs first for chicken of the woods and jack-o-lanterns.

Generated by Claude (Anthropic) from the structured weather, soil, and phenology data on this page. The LLM can misread edge cases — treat this as a starting hypothesis, not a guarantee. Always verify conditions on the ground before committing to a long drive.

Foraging Potential80/100

✅Moisture

✅Soil Temp

✅No Freeze

✅No Drought

Precip 7d

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Nearby Camping

Within(7)

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Cagle Recreation Area: 877-444-6777

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National Forests and Grasslands in Texas

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⚠ Road Access Notice

Always verify road access is public before following GPS directions to mountain areas. Many forest roads are seasonal, gated, or require 4WD. Dispersed camping follows USFS/BLM rules (typically 14-day limit). Check ranger district offices for current road and campground conditions.