Updated 8/26/26 Three more parishes were added to a growing list of fire ban issuances, bringing the total to 28 as of Wednesday, Aug. 26. Extended dry weather and high temperatures led to 25 parishes in Louisiana to issue burn bans. According to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry website, most of the 28 parishes are listed as High or Very High levels for fire danger. Parishes that have so far issued burn bans as of Wednesday, Aug. 26 are: Acadia Allen Beaur

Severe dry conditions have led four Louisiana parishes to issue burn bans this week. Jonathan Brazzell, a hydrologist for the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, said that although weather patterns dumped a lot of rain on the state in June, the spigot was closed afterward. "It just shut off," he said. "It's a flash drought." Parishes with burn bans as of Thursay morning, (Aug. 6, 2026) included Caldwell, DeSoto, Union and Washington. Check out a map of parishes that hav

Paula Vizinat stands next to the Louisiana Champion Hercules Club tree, also known as the toothache tree for its numbing properties if bark or leaf is chewed, with her English Setters Patch, from left, and Luz. The tree is on property that has been in Vizinat's family for decades. (Submitted photo) Sometimes landowners find a nugget of interest in their forest that they never knew was there. For Paula Vizinat, it was the toothache tree. The Hercules Club, Zanthoxylum clava-he

Kisatchie National Forest Supervisor Lisa Lewis presents Wade Dubea a plaque of appreciation for his service as Louisiana State Forester for 18 years. Dubea retired officially in August. The Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry (LDAF) has posted the job of State Forester for the department following the retirement of Wade Dubea, who served in that position for about 18 years. According to the posting, LDAF "is seeking an experienced and dedicated State Forester to

Dr. Matthew Helmer looks over a marbled stone from the original site of Louisiana State University in Pineville. Helmer led a dig at the site in 2025. (Photo by USDAFS) What in the world does archaeology have to do with Louisiana forestry, you might ask, and why would it be on the front cover of a Forestry magazine? This is a great question, and brings about a topic that many don’t often think about when it comes to forestry — that Louisiana’s forests cover tens of thousands

Ernie Savoie, director of the Center for Traditional Louisiana Boat Building paddles a cutout cypress pirogue he helped restore. The center is in a fundraising effort to build a new facility in Thibodaux after its building in Lockport was destroyed by Hurricane Ida. (Photo by Jeff Zeringue) Louisiana is home to lots of craftsmen whose goal most often is to create something attractive. The art of boat building is one craft that isn’t just for its beauty but for its function as