The Louisiana Forest Products Development Center, part of the Louisiana State University AgCenter, will be hosting a comprehensive 3 day lumber drying workshop “Drying Lumber For Quality and Profit” on July 23-25, 2008. The workshop will be held on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge, La. This workshop will thoroughly cover the lumber drying process from start to finish of hardwood and softwood lumber.

(Distributed 01/25/08) The South remains the wood basket of the world, said William Hubbard, southern regional extension forester from Athens, Ga., at the Forest Landowner Forum held in West Monroe Jan. 19, 2008.

(Distributed 11/20/07) An annual tradition in the South is the opening of most "choose-and-cut" Christmas tree farms on the Friday following Thanksgiving.

Landscape beds, parking lots, and construction activities around trees are all possible without harming the trees if you understand where the tree roots are and what they need to survive. Use these guidelines to protect trees in potentially damaging situations.

There are some concerns that the sawdust produced at a sawmill might be to small and that it might affect respiratory health. This study analyzed particle size from 5 different machine centers in a hardwood sawmill with a microscope and concluded that minimum particle size was too large to be considered harmfull to the human respiratory system. It should be noted that this study did not examine the effects of sawdust with regards to the development of cancer cells in the human body.

Louisiana has beautiful and bountiful natural forest resources. An Extension Specialist can help add value to forest products, which will demonstrate the skills and creativity inherent to Louisiana.

Certified forests may be the next trend in lumber marketing, but non-industrial, private forest landowners generally are unwilling to foot the bill, according to a recent study.

A description of how biomass is being used for energy in Louisiana with an emphasis on the potential for expansion in the industry. (Revised 11/06)

(Video 11/21/06) Discussions of forestry best managment practices related to drainage in building roads during harvest. (Running Time: 60 seconds)

The selection, planting and care of urban trees in Louisiana. Includes full-page poster of native landscape trees, their leaves, tree height and spread comparisons. 16 pages.