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