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La. forest industry website gets update

La. forest industry website gets update Writer: Rick Bogren at 225-578-5839 or rbogren@agcenter.lsu.edu
BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter recently updated an online directory with current information about forest products companies in Louisiana.
The site allows users to search more than 600 companies by product, parish or company name, said Richard Vlosky, director of the Louisiana Forest Products Development Center in the AgCenter.
Company locations are identified on a Louisiana map, and company contact information appears when a map icon is clicked.
Designed primarily to promote economic development in Louisiana’s forest sector, the website was initially developed by Vlosky and Fred Piazza, AgCenter chief information officer, and was funded by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry and Louisiana Economic Development. The 2015 update was funded by Crosby Land & Resources LLC, of New Orleans.
“This is an example of how collaboration between the LSU AgCenter, state government agencies and industry can facilitate development of an innovative tool to power economic development,” Vlosky said.
“In addition to being a valuable business and promotional tool for the industry, the website information will identify spatial company clustering, which is a useful tool for economic development planners, as clusters tend to have efficiencies and scale economies that attract additional industry,” he added.
The forest sector is the largest segment of Louisiana agriculture with a nearly $3 billion contribution to the state’s economy in 2014. Forest products manufacturers employed nearly 13,000 people, while timber sales generated $12.7 million in severance taxes that year.
The website can be accessed at www.lsuagcenter.com/forestindustries