BATON ROUGE, La. – The annual forestry forum held in conjunction with the AgExpo at the West Monroe Convention Center is scheduled from 8 a.m. to noon on Jan. 17.

LSU AgCenter area forestry agent Steve Hotard said the forum is open to forest landowners, professionals in the forest industry and the general public.

“Every year we try to highlight what’s going on due to legislative initiatives and sustainable forestry initiatives,” he said. “This year we’re going to have speakers talking about new management techniques because of global warming, different types of seedlings people can plant, new industries, research initiatives in the AgCenter and the state of forestry in Louisiana.”

The industry has been struggling over the past few years like most, but Hotard said the situation is improving.

Even though the domestic market remains important, he said, the global market and the global economy both have a direct effect on the Louisiana timber industry.

“The forest industry is highly dependent on the global market,” Hotard said. “A lot of our end products go overseas, and we’re always looking for new markets no matter where they are.”

The markets are getting better for the private, non-industrial landowner because companies are buying more timber, Hotard said.

Hotard said registration for the forestry forum is $5 and is due by Jan. 10