Piney Woods

Piney Woods
Piney Woods
	Satellite image of North America with the Piney Woods eco-region discernible in distinct dark green.
	South Central Plains (EPA ecoregion)
Ecology
Realm	Nearctic
Biome	Temperate coniferous forest
Borders	List Mississippi lowland forests; Western Gulf coastal grasslands; East Central Texas forests; Texas blackland prairies; Central forest-grasslands transition; Ozark Mountain forests;
Bird species	205
Mammal species	60
Geography
Area	140,900 km2 (54,400 sq mi)
Country	United States
States	Texas; Arkansas; Louisiana; Oklahoma;
Coordinates	32°N 94°W / 32°N 94°W
Climate type	Humid subtropical (Cfa)
Conservation
Habitat loss	22.235%
Protected	11.03%

The Piney Woods is a temperate coniferous forest terrestrial ecoregion in the Southern United States covering 54,400 square miles (141,000 km²) of East Texas, southern Arkansas, western Louisiana, and southeastern Oklahoma. These coniferous forests are dominated by several species of pine as well as hardwoods including hickory and oak. Historically the most dense part of this forest region was the Big Thicket though the lumber industry dramatically reduced the forest concentration in this area and throughout the Piney Woods during the 19th and 20th centuries. The World Wide Fund for Nature considers the Piney Woods to be one of the critically endangered ecoregions of the United States.^[2] The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines most of this ecoregion as the South Central Plains.

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Hoekstra, J. M.; Molnar, J. L.; Jennings, M.; Revenga, C.; Spalding, M. D.; Boucher, T. M.; Robertson, J. C.; Heibel, T. J.; Ellison, K. (2010). Molnar, J. L. (ed.). The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-26256-0.
^ "Piney Woods forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2009-06-14.

[Atlas-1] Hoekstra, J. M.; Molnar, J. L.; Jennings, M.; Revenga, C.; Spalding, M. D.; Boucher, T. M.; Robertson, J. C.; Heibel, T. J.; Ellison, K. (2010). Molnar, J. L. (ed.). The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-26256-0.

[WWFReport-2] "Piney Woods forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2009-06-14.

[1]

[2]