Southeast Texas, Big Thicket National Preserve Infrared Photography

Canopied dirt road through the Polk County portion of Big Thicket National Preserve, a U.S. Park Service area set aside to protect plants and wildlife in the corner of Southeast Texas. Photographed by Carol Highsmith, 2014 using infrared photography.

The Big Thicket is a densely forested region in Southeast Texas, USA, characterized by a mix of pine-hardwood forests. It is home to the Big Thicket National Preserve, designated by the National Park Service in 1974 and recognized as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO. This area boasts exceptional plant diversity, comprising over 160 tree and shrub species, 800 herbs and vines, and 340 types of grasses. Biologists have identified up to eleven distinct ecosystems within the Big Thicket. While the region has a rich history of Native American presence, logging in the 19th and 20th centuries significantly impacted the forest concentration. Efforts to preserve the Big Thicket began in the early 1900s, and its ecological importance remains undeniable.