By: Shofner (Senate Sponsor - Nichols) H.C.R. No. 84

(In the Senate - Received from the House May 19, 2025; May 21, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on Administration; May 27, 2025, reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 27, 2025, sent to printer.) Click here to see the committee vote

COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.C.R. No. 84 By: Hinojosa of Nueces

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The development of the city of Pineland has been profoundly shaped by its lumber industry, which has formed the basis of the community's economy since its founding at the turn of the 20th century; and

WHEREAS, Located in southwestern Sabine County, Pineland traces its origins to a sawmill and lumber camp that was established on the Gulf, Beaumont and Great Northern Railway, which laid tracks through the county in 1902; originally known as John Adam's Mill, the community acquired its Pineland name when a post office opened in 1904; and

WHEREAS, Nestled in the heart of the East Texas forests, Pineland grew rapidly as a company town centered around the Temple Lumber Company, which was established in 1910 when Thomas L. L. Temple took control of a previously existing mill operation; through the decades, the company's products included hardwood, plywood, pine lumber, particleboard, and hardwood flooring, and a number of new processing facilities were added beginning in the 1960s; and

WHEREAS, The company became Temple Industries in 1963, and additional name changes took place over the next two decades due to a series of acquisitions and mergers; since 2013, Georgia-Pacific has operated the mill, and when a $120 million expansion of the Pineland Lumber Complex was completed in 2023, it became the largest sawmill in the southern United States; and

WHEREAS, Drawing on the region's vast timber resources, Pineland has played an integral role in the state's lumber industry for more than a century, and the city's residents are justifiably proud of their community's contributions to the Texas economy; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby designate Pineland as the official Sawmill Capital of Texas; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section 391.003(e), Government Code, this designation remain in effect until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is finally passed by the legislature.

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