July brings hot weather, summer fun, and new workshops. I encourage you to spend an evening with us during July to learn how to improve or restore critical wildlife habitats on your land. Presented by Quail Forever, these workshops are scheduled in Jonesboro, Ruston (Trailblazer Tuesday), Ringgold, Minden, and Farmerville. Check the schedule below for dates and times. I hope to see you there!
Sincerely, P. Ellzey Simmons Chief Executive Officer – Trailblazer RC&D
July Workshop Series Features Wildlife Management
During July, we are excited to work with Quail Forever to host a series of wildlife management workshops featuring restoration of wildlife habitat. The first session was offered in June; and Sabrina Claeys, Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist with Quail Forever, reported it was a great session. She is looking forward to seeing you at an event in July. Check our schedule and reserve your seat today! To RSVP, call (318) 639-3235.
Get Well Soon!
The Trailblazer family sends loving thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery from surgery to Bob Brotherton. We are thinking about you, Bob, and hope that you will be back to doing the things you love very soon.
Wildlife, forestry, livestock, mineral resources, and more!
That is what Trailblazer’s June workshop lineup featured. Always interesting, always timely, always informative!
June 2021 Workshops
June 1 Finding Rare Animals in Louisiana Trailblazer Tuesdays at the Lincoln Parish Library – Ruston, LA
“Excellent presentation” Workshop Participant
Finding Rare Animals in Louisiana Workshop – Ruston, LA
June 8 Minerals Leasing Workshop Sibley Town Hall – Sibley, LA
“Easy to understand topics” Workshop Participant
Minerals Leasing Workshop – Sibley, LA
June 11 Forestry Best Management Practices For Family Forest Landowners, Red Oak Lake – Haughton, LA
“I loved the variety of topics and speakers” Workshop Participant
Forestry Best Management Practices Workshop for Family Forest Landowners
June 24 Livestock Field Day Roy McIntyre Farm – Delhi, LA
“Really benefitted from ‘terrible 2’ talk” Workshop Participant
Livestock Field Day – Delhi, LA
Thank You!
Many thanks go to Trailblazer’s June workshop partners, sponsors, and friends—they made it possible for us to offer quality workshops free of charge for all to attend.
Forestry Controlled Burn. Photo by Johnny N. Dell, Bugwood.org
New Fire Mapping Tool
— Helps Resource Managers with Fire Management Needs and Reduces Wildfire Risks —
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers a fire mapping tool for the southeastern United States—SE FireMap. This tool helps resource managers improve regional or local approaches to managing wildfire risk and fire management needs through targeted prescribed burns and training. Fire management helps improve forest ecosystem health, increases timber values, reduces the risk of wildfire damage to life and property, reduces ticks and other pests, protects drinking water, and renews healthy ecosystems supporting wildlife habitat, especially in fire-dependent longleaf pine forests.
The SE FireMap will map all detectable fires, including managed prescribed burns and wildfires, across nine states. The map and associated tools aim to improve fire management in urban and rural communities through remote sensing and will track both prescribed fire and wildfires throughout Louisiana.
The SE FireMap is a Google Earth Engine product and data sharing is available for conservation and community planning purposes. To see the mapping products or request data sharing, visit the partnerships’ Wildland Fire portal at: https://landscapepartnership.org/key-issues/wildland-fire.
This resource is funded a USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Working Lands for Wildlife partnership agreement and is a partnership between the Endowment for Forestry and Communities, the Longleaf Alliance, the Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability, and the Longleaf Partnership Council of America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative.
“Through partnerships, longleaf forest conservation and restoration have progressed significantly in recent years. From reducing the risk of dangerous wildfires to improving fire planning for community preparedness or supporting landscape resiliency during impacts from climate change, NRCS’s partnership with the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities has helped deliver an invaluable conservation tool that complements existing efforts to reverse the decline of Louisiana’s longleaf forests.”
Chad Kacir State Conservationist USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service – Louisiana
Longleaf Forests and Fire
Native longleaf pine ecosystems thrive with frequent fires and replicating natural fire conditions helps maintain these unique ecosystems and the wildlife that depends on them. Prescribed burns strategically mimic natural fires, which create and maintain open understory to benefit wildlife, including keystone species such as the gopher tortoise and red-cockaded woodpecker, and benefit pine stand health.
Assistance for Forest Management
NRCS offers technical and financial assistance to help landowners improve forest health. Interested landowners should contact a local office of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to learn more about assistance opportunities.
Due to current COVID-19 conditions, NRCS staff are working with customers through phone, mail and online communications. Field work continues with appropriate social distancing to help producers with conservation planning and financial assistance through Farm Bill programs.
NRCS Local Offices (in Trailblazer RC&D’s outreach area)
All USDA Service Centers, including those with NRCS field offices, are not currently accessible to customers in person. Online services are available to customers with an eAuth account, which provides access to the farmers.gov offsite link where producers can view USDA farm loan information and payments and view and track certain USDA program applications and payments. Customers who do not already have an eAuth account can enroll at farmers.gov/sign-in. Online NRCS services are available to customers through the Conservation Client Gateway link which can be found at www.nrcs.usda.gov. Customers can track payments, report completed practices, request conservation assistance and electronically sign documents.
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
Louisiana’s forestlands cover 48% of the state’s area or 13.8 million acres.
Private, non-industrial landowners own 62 percent of the state’s forestland, forest products industries own 29 percent and the general public owns 9 percent.
This renewable resource provides the raw material for Louisiana’s second largest manufacturing employer – the forest products industry – with over 900 firms in 45 parishes directly employing over 25,000 people.
An additional 8,000 people are employed in the harvesting and transportation of the resource.
Louisiana’s forests provide a multitude of other benefits, including clean air and water, wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities and scenic beauty.
From: Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, https://www.ldaf.state.la.us/forestry/, viewed 6/29/21.
Timber Harvest Terminology
Forestry Quiz
The cutting of selected trees in a forest so the growth of other trees is not affected is called: ○ Selective Cutting ○ Thinning ○ Controlled Burn ○ Clear Cutting
2. A technique used in forest management to improve habitat and reduce wildfire risk is called: ○ Selective Cutting ○ Thinning ○ Controlled Burn ○ Clear Cutting
3. The removal of some trees from an area to allow other trees more room to grow is called: ○ Selective Cutting ○ Thinning ○ Controlled Burn ○ Clear Cutting
4. The removal of most or all of the trees in an area is called: ○ Selective Cutting ○ Thinning ○ Controlled Burn ○ Clear Cutting
To understand these forest management methods and more, contact your local office of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to discuss options for your forest land.
811 is the national call-before-you-dig phone number. Anyone who plans to dig should call 811 or go to their state 811 center’s website before digging to request that the approximate location of buried utilities be marked with paint or flags so that you don’t unintentionally dig into an underground utility line.
This Dial 811 message is brought to you by Enable Midstream Partners. Enable Midstream Partners is a publicly traded master limited partnership that owns, operates, and develops strategically located natural gas and crude oil infrastructure assets serving major producing basins and markets.
