SWLA Forestry Association Annual Meeting & Forestry Forum: Time for Recovery
The LSU AgCenter and SW LA Forestry Association will be presenting programs to help forest landowners and professional foresters with managing their forests more profitably.
The cost is $25 per household comprised of a husband, wife, and dependent children. The cost also includes annual membership dues and entitles members to attend other workshops at no charge.
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Rapides Parish Man Arrested For Setting Fires To Company Land
On January 26, 2024, investigators with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Forestry Enforcement Division and the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested James E. Doyle of Elizabeth, Louisiana, for trespassing and setting wildfires on company land in Rapides Parish.
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Get a Free Tree at Louisiana Forestry Association for Arbor Day
The Louisiana Forestry Association has announced that it is celebrating Arbor Day by giving away 1,000 seedlings on Friday, Jan. 19.
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Louisiana Timber Industry Sees Financial Impact From Drought, Wildfires
The timber industry in Louisiana suffered major losses as a result of weeks-long wildfires and ongoing drought. Most of the damage comes from Vernon Parish and surrounding areas, where timber normally thrives.
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Northeast Forestry Forum Set Jan. 12
A forestry forum held in conjunction with Ag Expo will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Jan. 12, 2024, at the West Monroe Convention Center, 901 Ridge Ave., West Monroe.
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Severe Drought is Taking a Huge Toll on Louisiana Farms, Forests
Louisiana’s abrupt transition this year from one of the wettest states to one of the driest has had crippling repercussions for its farms and forests.
The state’s agricultural and timber industries have suffered nearly $1.7 billion in losses from the long-running drought and recent bouts of record high temperatures, according to a new report from Louisiana State University researchers.
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Exploring the History of Tung Trees in Washington Parish and St. Tammany
I grew up hearing about tung trees. Particularly, I learned that much of the land in St. Tammany Parish on which Money Hill golf community and the Whippoorwill Grove subdivision now exist was once planted in tung trees.
The tung oil tree (Vernicia fordii, formerly Aleurites fordii) is native to parts of China and southeast Asia. Oil from tung seeds has been used in varnishes, paints, and other products.
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Timber Market Trends Workshop to be Offered December 12 at Bossier Parish Library History Center
A free Timber Market Trends Workshop will be offered on December 12, 2023, at the Bossier Parish Library History Center in Bossier City, Louisiana. Featured topics include current market trends for timber, how to estimate the value of your timber, how to find the best place to sell your timber, how to navigate pitfalls of selling your timber, and how to leave the land healthier after the sale.
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Weyerhaeuser Invests $96 Million to Upgrade and Decarbonize Winn Parish Facility
Weyerhaeuser, one of the largest private owners of timberland, will spend 96 million dollars to modernize and decarbonize its Winn Parish lumber mill. Spokesperson Deano Orr says the upgrade will increase safety, productivity, and reliability.
“That’s going to involve installations of some new modernized equipment. Some of that new equipment will be new low-carbon process drying systems. We refer to those as CDK’s which is short for Continuours Dry Kilns.”
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State Agriculture Commissioner Looking to Boost Louisiana’s Firefighting Capability
Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain plans to ask the Legislature for $43 million to beef up firefighting equipment and personnel after the state suffered its worst wildfire season in a century, wiping out 62,000 acres of mostly forestland.
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Availability Of Live Christmas Trees This Year Not A Problem, Forestry Experts Say
Consumers may have had concerns about the availability of Christmas trees this year, but LSU AgCenter professionals say there is nothing to worry about.
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LSU AgCenter Scientist Becomes Forestry Fellow
The Society of American Foresters has named Sun Joseph Chang, a scientist at LSU AgCenter School of Renewable Natural Resources, as one of 32 fellows inducted in 2023.
The fellowship represents one of the highest honors for members of the society.
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Assessing Tree Damage After An Extended Drought
Excessive drought conditions in Louisiana are quickly becoming a natural disaster that will have effects on gardens, landscape plants and natural areas all across the state for some time. We may not understand the full extent of the damage for years. The U.S. Drought Mitigation Center has categorized a substantial portion of Louisiana’s parishes as being in an “exceptional drought” state for an extended period.
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$71M In Timber Lost To Summer Wildfires; More Damage Expected
Wildfires that engulfed more than 50,000 acres of Louisiana forests during this summer’s record-breaking heat and drought dealt a blow of at least $71 million to the state’s timber sector, according to LSU AgCenter estimates.
That figure is expected to climb higher as wildfires continue to burn in some areas.
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Inconsistent Federal Transportation Policy Hurts Economy, Environment
The U.S. Federal Transportation Policy is a disjointed, bureaucratic hodgepodge of restrictions and requirements lacking consistency across the states, imposed under the extortive threat of federal funding losses.
What weighs more? A ton of milk or a ton of logs?
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