Estate Planning is Essential
A free estate planning presentation — “Who Gets My Land When I Die? And What Can I Do About It?” — will be held at 5 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Ringgold Library in Ringgold, Louisiana. Attorney Paul Spillers will provide valuable information on wills and trusts, asset protection, tax consequences, property ownership, and estate planning tools. Mr. Spillers is senior counsel at the Law Offices of Theus, Grisham, Davis & Leigh in Monroe, Louisiana. He specializes in estate planning and probate; litigation; oil, gas, and mineral law; taxation, and timber law. This workshop is sponsored by Trailblazer RC&D.
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Weather Culprit of Pine Tree Stress
A series of year-long weather events have put added stress on weaker and older pine trees, leading to their demise, according to Carol Pinnell-Allison, LSU AgCenter Extension agent.
While traveling through Concordia, Catahoula, Franklin, and Tensas parishes, dead or dying pine trees can be seen scattered throughout the landscape. Trees with brown-needles are a stark contrast against the dark green evergreens.
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Forestry Festival Kicks Off in Vernon Parish
The West Louisiana Forestry Festival is in full swing on the Vernon Parish fairgrounds.
The festival is held Oct. 4-8 and includes live music and DJs, roping contests, livestock, vendors and more.
There are special admissions for senior citizens, military and students, each on a respective day of the fair.
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Forestry Agents Arrest a Rapides Parish Woman for Setting Fires, Which Resulted in Millions of Dollars in Damage
On September 22, investigators with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Enforcement Division arrested Laura Mclaughlin of Pitkin, LA, for setting wildfires in Rapides Parish.
In the early morning hours of August 24, LDAF fire crews and the Plainview Fire Department responded to multiple wildfires set in the Union Hill area in Rapides Parish.
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U.S. Forest Service Awards $6,000,000 for Baton Roots’ Agroforestry Apprenticeship
The Walls Project, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to tearing down societal barriers that hinder people from living safe, healthy, and prosperous lives, is thrilled to announce the receipt of a transformative $6 million grant from the U.S. Forest Service (USDA) which will enable the organization to launch an agroforestry apprenticeship program. This historic investment in Baton Rouge is made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act through the Forest Service's Urban and Community Forestry program.
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LDAF & LFA Offer $15,000 Reward For Arson Information
As previously reported, investigators with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Forestry Enforcement Division have determined that many of the large wildfires burning throughout Louisiana in recent weeks are the result of arson. LDAF investigators, Louisiana State Fire Marshal deputies, and various parish sheriff’s office detectives continue to actively investigate the matter.
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The Walls Project Launches an Apprenticeship Program with a $6M Grant
Baton Rouge nonprofit the Walls Project Thursday announced it has received a $6 million grant from the U.S. Forest Services that it will use to launch an agroforestry apprenticeship program.
The grant is part of a 1.5 billion U.S. Department of Agriculture allotment from the federal Inflation Reduction Act to promote urban and community forestry.
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Rapides Parish Man Arrested for Setting Multiple Wildfires in Grant Parish
Investigators with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Forestry Enforcement Division arrested 32-year-old Michael Shawn Setliff of Flatwoods, Louisiana, on three counts of simple arson for fires set in Grant Parish.
Investigators allege that on September 13, 2023, Setliff set multiple wildfires off Highway 500 and on W.W. Melton Road.
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Vernon Parish Family Captures Surreal Photo Of Dangerous Wildfire Near Home
The Lions Camp Fire in Vernon Parish is one of the largest wildfires Louisiana has ever recorded with nearly 800 acres being burnt.
The wildfire caused major damage and threatened several properties as it spread, even coming dangerously close to some homes.
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ForPAC Endorses 21 Candidates for La. Legislature
The Forestry Political Action Council, ForPAC, endorses the following candidates to the Louisiana State Legislature. Early voting begins Saturday September 30th for the Primary Election October 14th. The run-off, General Election, is November 18, 2023.
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LLC and LFA Sign Alliance with OSHA
The Louisiana Logging Council (LLC) and Louisiana Forestry Association (LFA) has renewed an alliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
The Alliance is to help improve safety in logging jobs, which includes courtesy training and inspections to give companies opportunities to avoid penalties if and OSHA inspector shows up on job sites unannounced.
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Unprecedented Heat, Drought Pushing Southern Fire Danger to Extremes
The Southern U.S. has faced a challenging summer with unrelenting daily temperatures above 100 degrees, abnormally low relative humidity, critically dry vegetative fuels ready to burn, wildfires exhibiting extreme fire behavior, and to top it off — a hurricane.
Hot summers and wildfires are not new to the South, nor is interagency cooperation in responding to and suppressing wildfires. But this summer has been far from normal, and in the case of Louisiana wildfires, this August — unprecedented.
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Wildfires Wipe Out Income For Louisiana Forest Landowners
In west-central Louisiana, where wildfires have ravaged thousands of acres of drought-stricken forests in recent weeks, more has been lost than just trees.
For many people, the towering pines that define the landscape of this rural region represent family inheritances, years of investment and hopes for the future. Growing trees takes a long time, but the cash they bring in when cut is worth the wait.
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CLTCC Launching A New Degree Program In Forest Technology
Central Louisiana Technical Community College is now offering students an associate degree in forest technology.
Forestry is a vital industry in Louisiana. With the launching of this new program, students enrolling will learn the ins and outs of a profession that plays a crucial role in our state.
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CLTCC Establishes Forest Technology Degree
Beginning this fall, students wishing to earn an associate degree in Forest Technology will be able to do so at the Huey P. Long Campus of Central Louisiana Technical Community College (CLTCC), the college announced.
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