Ask him how to identify himself, and John Michael Kelley will tell you he lets others work on that. Whether that’s his modesty or his acquiescence to academia is uncertain. His boss Rusty Scarborough, manager of Walter Jacobs Nature Park, thinks it has more to do with humility. “He doesn’t give himself enough credit for the volume of knowledge that he does possess,” Scarborough said. “Ecologically, botanically and soil chemistry, the things that are in his mind ...” Scarborou

The latest Minding the Forest podcast episode is Louisiana Forestry Association Executive Director Buck Vandersteen talking about the 2021 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature. Click here to listen to Minding the Forest S2E7 - Legislative Wrap-up

Eight new species of trees joined the Louisiana Champion Tree list in 2021, five of which are in the Northwest corner of the state. Breaking down the list of newcomers, four of them are located in Bossier Parish and two of the trees unseated previous champions — a Nutmeg Hickory in Bossier Parish and a Green Ash in St. Landry Parish. After marveling at the size of the Sweetgum at the home of his wife’s aunt and uncle, James Hartsell of Shreveport finally contacted the Louisia

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has signed the bill that creates the Logger Relief Act, so the process of creating the rules about how loggers can qualify and sign up for the benefit will soon begin. House Bill 642 by House Speaker Clay Schexnayder uses money the state received from the federal government because of the pandemic and creates the vehicle by which loggers who lost at least 10 percent of their income due to the shutdown in 2020. Now signed, the legislation become

Registration for the 74th annual convention of the Louisiana Forestry Association began today! LFA members will be receiving brochures in the mail this week and can send in their completed registration forms with payment by mail or they can register online for the Aug. 24-26 in-person event at the Golden Nugget Resort Hotel & Casino in Lake Charles. We are excited to hold the annual meeting in-person after a year in hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of our members hav

BATON ROUGE — Buoyed by billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief aid, Louisiana legislators took on several big issues this spring and made progress in simplifying the tax code, supporting education and expanding criminal-justice reform. Some public-interest groups praised the tax changes as important steps toward strengthening Louisiana’s economy, while others expressed concern that some of the changes could lead to a budget crunch down the road. The Council for a Bett