Explore the Texas A&M Forest Service Famous Trees of Texas

The Texas A&M Forest Service (TFS), through Texas A&M University Press, first published Famous Trees of Texas as a hardcover book in 1970. The Texas A&M Forest Service Famous Trees of Texas website updates and replaces the original book and subsequent editions. TFS created the website in an effort “to memorialize those trees which have been witness to some of the exciting periods and events in Texas’ frontier history.”

Here you will find the most current listing of trees from A to Z, by Historical Period, Historical Topic, Tree Species, or by County. You can also create a “tour” of the trees online!

Goose Island Oak, the Pioneer Oak, the Treaty Oak, Goodnight-Loving Pecan, Rough Riders Pecan, and the San Saba Mother Pecan are just to name a few of the Famous Trees of Texas the Forest Service has recognized.

Goodnight-Loving Pecan

It was underneath this tree in 1866, that Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving formed their partnership and began to move cattle further west than anyone had done previously.

Goose Island Oak

Ben Milam Cypress

According to legend, the branches of this twin Bald Cypress tree served as the hiding spot for a Mexican sniper who shot and killed Benjamin R. Milam.

Though updates to trees previously listed and new trees added are published online, hardcover books can still be found in some libraries thanks to The Moody Foundation of Galveston, Texas. They provided the financial support that allowed free copies of the first edition of Famous Trees of Texas to be distributed to many public schools and public libraries.

The cover photo for the third and final edition of Famous Trees of Texas by Hal Harris was a picture of The Washington Elm on the grounds of the state capitol in Austin.