Louisiana Tech, USDA/Forestry Service Collaboration to Benefit Students, Industry
Louisiana Tech University students and the state’s forestry industry are set to benefit from the recent planting of a seed that’s sure to grow.
Representatives of the University’s College of Applied and Natural Sciences (CANS) and the US Department of AgricultureForest Service, Southern Research Station (USDA-FS-SRS) have signed a letter of intent regarding both a shared commitment to forest sector-based research and a collaboration between the two entities regarding the University’s on-the-horizon Forest Products Innovation Center.
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USDA Approves Emergency Forest Restoration Assistance for All Parishes in Louisiana
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) today announced that all 64 Louisiana parishes have been approved for the Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) to restore and rehabilitate private forest lands impacted by severe drought and related insect infestation damage. The EFRP signup period runs from May 13, 2024, to July 12, 2024.
EFRP is a cost-share program that provides financial and technical assistance to owners of nonindustrial private forestland (NIPF) to restore NIPF damaged by a qualifying natural disaster event.
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Brown Spot Needle Blight
Minding the Forest drops a new episode May 15 featuring Dr. Laura Sims, assistant professor at Louisiana Tech University, who is studying Brown Spot Needle Blight.
The podcast can be found on the Louisiana Forestry Association website, https://www.laforestry.com/podcast
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La. Bill Aims for Solution to State’s Forest Devastation from Drought, Excessive Heat
A Central Louisiana lawmaker is pushing for legislation to combat the devastation of the state’s forest industry. This is due to last summer’s drought, which is still having effects across the Cenla region.
Pineville resident Mike Tudor said 14 pine trees are dead in his neighborhood strictly from the drought and heat.
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Hog Eradication Not Pretty, but Essential
Forest landowners know there are only two types of land: that which doesn’t have hogs; and that which soon will have hogs.
Feral hogs in the Southeast United States have been a problem for landowners for centuries. First brought to North America in the 1500s by Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto, the free-range swine quickly populated southern forests. Exacerbating the problem in the early 20th century, more aggressive Eurasian wild boars were turned loose for hunters and despite “game-proof” caging, many escaped and mingled their bloodlines with other wild hogs, according to LSU AgCenter information.
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USDA Forest Service Invests Over $1M To Support Schools, Roads & Other Services As Part of Investing In America Agenda
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service announced it is issuing more than $232 million to support public schools, roads and other municipal services through the agency’s Secure Rural Schools program. The program was reauthorized for fiscal years 2021 through 2023 through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Fiscal year 2023 funds will be paid to 745 eligible counties in 41 states and Puerto Rico.
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RoyOMartin Announces $30 Million Modernization of Timber Manufacturing Facility in Southwest Louisiana
Martco, LLC, parent company for timber sourcing and manufacturing company RoyOMartin, announced it will invest more than $30 million to install technologically advanced production equipment at its Allen Parish plant that produces oriented strand board (OSB) for the housing industry.
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LLC Vendor Program Can Save You a Lot
Louisiana Logging Council (LLC) members can now participate in a new vendor program that will offer discounts to logging companies for goods and services.
Companies that offer goods and services, such as tires, repairs or parts, for example, wanting to participate in the program are required to have an active membership in LLC. Logging companies wanting to receive discounts must show proof of membership in the LLC.
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Prescribed Burn Associations Can Help
The summer of 2023 was the hottest, driest summer in memory. Along with the hot dry weather came wildfires. Through the end of October, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Office of Forestry responded to more than 1,300 wildfires burning almost 58,000 acres statewide.
Forests cover almost 50 percent of Louisiana, with more than one-third being pine dominated. Historically, the piney woods would burn periodically due to the accumulation of highly flammable needles and frequent lightning strikes.
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DeSoto Parish Man Arrested For Theft Of Timber
On March 26, 2024, Michael Whitaker of Mansfield, LA, was arrested for theft of timber following an investigation by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Forestry Enforcement Division.
In January 2024, LDAF Forestry Enforcement received a complaint of possible timber theft in DeSoto Parish.
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Mapping Pine Death in the Footprint of Drought
Late last year, the South experienced an extremely hot and sudden drought. When temperatures are high and moisture is low, trees become vulnerable quickly. Across southwest Mississippi and eastern Louisiana, approximately 12 million pine trees began dying. By early winter, 83,000 acres of pines had died. That estimate was derived with HiForm, an innovative tool developed by the Forest Service for high resolution forest mapping.
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Workshop Teachers Proper Prescribed Burning Methods
Rodney McKay knows a lot about starting fires.
Between 15 and 25 times a year, McKay heads into the woods with a drip torch, rakes and an array of other tools used to light fires, monitor their spread and manage the smoke they produce.
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Massive Blaze Trails Through Woods in Keithville
Fire has charred at least 100 acres of woods in Keithville’s Pecan Farms neighborhood.
The blaze behind a home in the 9600 block of Paula Street was reported about 2:20 p.m. Sunday (Feb. 25). It was moving very quickly through the woods due to very high winds, Caddo Fire District 4 reported.
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CenLa Forestry Forum Set March 6
LSU AgCenter will hold its CenLa Forestry Forum from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 6 at the LSU AgCenter Evacuation Center near LSUA in Alexandria.
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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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