The Woodlands Township has seen a savings of more than $850,000 in its Parks and Recreation Department budget so far this year, which Chief Operating Officer Chris Nunes said was largely because of a slowed-down maintenance program due to the drought conditions.

Activities such as mowing have been reduced because of the dry conditions, Nunes said.

The township's financial report through May 31, presented at a June 22 board of directors meeting by Kellan Shaw, showed the township was $3.2 million under budgeted expenditures for the year to date overall, with other favorable variances in departments such as law enforcement and community services. On the revenue side, the township was $5.5 million over budget in sales tax, according to the report.

During the presentation, board of directors Chair Gordy Bunch asked how the township's trees were faring in the drought, to which Nunes said the township's 28,000 acres was prohibitively large for extensive watering, but reforested trees that were planted in recent years have been provided with some additional water.

Nunes said the good news was that the township had not seen many pines suffering due to drought yet.

"The pines go first," Nunes said. "We haven't seen a lot of that yet but if this goes on a little longer. ..."

Nunes said the 2011 drought had caused damage to trees, but that was the culmination of three years in which droughts had occurred.