Managing parklands for safety, sustainability, and long-term resilience
Travis County Parks manages more than 36,000 acres of parkland properties across Central and North Central Texas. The Land Management Program integrates Forestry, Stewardship, and Fire Management to care for these lands as interconnected functions - protecting natural resources, reducing risk, and strengthening resilience for park visitors and surrounding communities.
Our work addresses increasing environmental challenges, including drought, extreme heat, flooding, wildfire, and habitat degradation, while supporting healthy ecosystems that provide lasting benefits to the public.
Why Land Management Matters
Parklands are living systems that require active stewardship. Without ongoing management, natural areas can experience declining forest health, increased wildfire risk, erosion, invasive species spread, and loss of habitat.
The Land Management Program takes a proactive, science-based approach to managing county parklands - balancing ecological health, public safety, recreation, and community benefit.
Program Goals
The Land Management Program is guided by four core goals that shape planning, prioritization, and on-the-ground implementation across the park system.
Retain Existing Resources
Protect and maintain high-quality natural assets, including mature trees, native ecosystems, soils, and hydrologic features, to preserve long-term ecological function.
Build Resilience at Multiple Scales
Strengthen resilience across local and regional landscapes by improving habitat connectivity, diversifying vegetation structure, and conserving native biodiversity — while building meaningful partnerships and stewardship capacity that is needed to sustain these systems over time.
Reduce Threats
Proactively address climate and ecological risks such as wildfire, extreme heat, drought, flooding, and habitat degradation through integrated land management practices.
Promote Equitable Social Experience & Ecological Services
Ensure all communities have access to the benefits of healthy natural systems by incorporating cultural values, community input, and equitable access into park planning and stewardship.
How We Manage Parklands
Land management is most effective when disciplines work together. The program integrates three interconnected focus areas:
Forestry
Supports forest health, canopy sustainability, hazardous tree mitigation, and protection of high-use park areas.
Fire Management
Uses prescribed fire and wildfire preparedness planning to reduce fuel accumulation, restore fire-adapted ecosystems, and improve community safety.
Stewardship & Restoration
Restores degraded landscapes through native seeding, erosion control, tree planting, and habitat improvement to strengthen soils, watersheds, and ecological function.
Planning, Transparency, and Reporting
The Land Management Program emphasizes transparency, accountability, and long-term planning through ongoing monitoring, reporting, and publicly available resources.
Annual Reports
Our annual reports summarize completed projects, program outcomes, and key accomplishments.
- 2024 Land Management Annual Report
- 2025 Land Management Annual Report
Land Management Plan — Coming Soon
A comprehensive 10-year Land Management Plan is currently under development and anticipated for completion in 2026.
This plan will guide long-term strategies for vegetation management, forest health, wildfire risk reduction, ecological restoration, and climate adaptation across the park system.
Status: In development — Coming Soon!
Partnerships & Community
Effective land stewardship relies on collaboration. The Land Management Program works closely with:
Emergency Service Districts
County departments
City, state, and federal land management agencies
Community organizations and partners
These partnerships strengthen regional preparedness, coordinated response, and long-term resilience across Travis County.
Looking Ahead
As Travis County continues to grow and climate conditions evolve, proactive land management remains essential.
Through integrated planning, strong partnerships, and sustained stewardship, the Land Management Program is committed to ensuring county parklands remain safe, healthy, and resilient now and for future generations.
