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.
Read MoreI 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.
Read MoreA 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.
Read MoreWeyerhaeuser, 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.”
Read MoreLouisiana 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.
Read MoreConsumers may have had concerns about the availability of Christmas trees this year, but LSU AgCenter professionals say there is nothing to worry about.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreExcessive 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.
Read MoreWildfires 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.
Read MoreThe 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?
Read MoreA 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.
Read MoreA 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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreOn 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.
Read MoreThe 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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