News Release Distributed 03/19/15

BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter has scheduled the 2015 Louisiana Natural Resources Symposium for Aug. 21 at the LSU AgCenter Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center near Pollock in central Louisiana.

The theme of this year’s meeting is Maximizing Value of Tree Farms, said Todd Shupe of the LSU AgCenter Louisiana Forest Products Development Center.

The symposium will feature papers from leading academic experts and local industry personnel covering important economic issues regarding how forest landowners can take advantage of the emerging biobased fuel industry,” Shupe said. The primary focus will be how a landowner can obtain maximum value for an existing or future tree farm.

The target audience includes forest landowners, land managers, foresters and others interested in this important emerging issue. Presenters will comprise a diverse group of speakers from industry and academia.

Topics will include economics, weed control, insects and diseases of short rotation stands, tree spacing, genetically improved seedlings, benefits of a consulting forester, alternative tree species, biomass and procurement needs by industry, and state financial assistance.

The program qualifies for six hours of Continuing Logger Education from the Louisiana Logging Council and for six hours of Category 1 continuing forestry education from the Society of American Foresters.

Registration cost is $50 before Aug. 1 and $100 after. Vendor booths are also available.

Further information is available from Shupe or Niels de Hoop at 225-578-4131.