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2001 LOUISIANA FORESTRY TEACHERS' TOUR

by Ed Robichaux

On June 13-16, the fourth Louisiana Forestry Teachers' Tour was held. The tour was based in Alexandria and was attended by 32 teachers from 21 Parishes across the state. There were also two people from the Southern Forest Products Association attending the tour. The purpose of the tour was to educate these teachers about as many aspects of forestry as possible so they could take this information and use it in their classrooms to educate their students. This will permit the forestry community in Louisiana to reach, with its message, the largest possible number of people. This is especially important in those areas of the state where people have little or no contact with forestry. These are places such as the New Orleans area, Baton Rouge, and the areas of south central Louisiana. This year, as in the past, teachers from these areas of the state attended the tour.

The activities they participated in covered a wide range of forestry topics. The first day, teachers took part in PLT activities and visited the Southern Forest Heritage Museum. On the second day, they toured the Martco hardwood mill and the OSB mill. Hardwood management, log grading, and lumber grading were also discussed. They visited the Alexander State Forest where pine management, the red-cockaded woodpecker, and forest recreation were covered. The met research a specialist with the USFS and covered topics such as genetics and silviculture. The IP paper mill near Pineville was toured where all facets of the pulpwood and paper industry were covered. On the third day, they met with a small nonindustrial landowner to hear about the part of forest management. Then the group went with Boise Cascade foresters to view timber harvesting, learn about prescribed burning, fertilization, thinning, and other areas of industrial forestry. The teachers also visited the Kisatchie Ranger District to learn more on forest recreation and the Kisatchie Wilderness. They also toured Boise's engineered wood products mill and the Elderwood wood preserving mill. During the entire week, the teachers interacted with foresters and the education specialist who were conducting the tour. They were continuously entering into discussions about forest fires, prescribed burning, logging, regeneration, insects, diseases, forest products, sustainable forestry, BMP's, environmental concerns, and numerous other topics.

The tour was hosted by the Louisiana Forestry Association, Department of Agriculture and Forestry, and the Society of American Foresters. Roy O. Martin Co., Gaiennie Lumber, International Paper, LBMDA, and Elderwood Preserving hosted lunches and dinners for the teachers. Mrs. Joy Hodges, Elderwood Preserving, Baker Land and Timber, Southern Forest Products, Smurfit Stone, Crosby Land & Resources, Temple Inland, Boise Cascade, Weyerhaeuser, Gaylord Container, Slaughter Logging, Hunt Forest Products, J. H. Chandler Land Co., Poole Lumber Co., International Paper, Willamette, Hinson Logging, Almond Brothers Logging, Gaiennie Lumber, T. L. James, Baker Forestry, Red Stick Forestry Association, and Bennett & Peters all sponsored teachers which enabled them to attend the tour. All those attending and conducting the tour greatly appreciated the contributions individuals and companies made. Without them the tour could not have taken place and a great opportunity to educate the people of Louisiana about forestry would have been missed. All teachers said they learned a great deal about forestry, and many stated that their impression/attitude about forestry and the forest industry in Louisiana had been completely changed, for the better, by the tour.

For more information concerning the upcoming 2002 LA. Forestry Teachers' Tour contact: 
Geri Flaherty
P.O. Box 1628
Baton Rouge, LA. 70821 

(225) 925-4500 or (225) 952-8007
Fax: (225) 922-1356