Save Memorial Park

We need your photos! Please message us with any photos you have of tree cutting and thinning of the forest in Memorial Park outside of the construction areas, or any other related activity (like trees marked for removal). Please include a description of where the photo was taken and date, including type of tree if possible.

It was reported to us last weekend that several of the mature pines that reach the tallest layer of the forest canopy had red ribbons on their trunks, presumably marking them for removal. They were out of reach from the trail, and in a wooded ravine area along one of the trails that has been temporarily closed due to the prairie construction. No photos were taken of these trees, unfortunately, but the images below show a recent tree cutting along the same trail from last weekend, and the thinning of the forest behind the mulch dump along the railroad tracks (aka tree cemetery).

How do flood events impact our local trees? The LSU Ag Center explains that "tolerance and resiliency can be significantly different among various trees. For example, loblolly pine is highly tolerant of saturated soils and flooding and is used as a wetland indicator species by the Army Corps of Engineers."

Native trees can withstand significant floods (08/29/17) ALEXANDRIA, La. — Although no stranger to rain and floods, Louisiana has seen a record number of extreme weather since 2014, and no area of the state has been immune, said LSU AgCenter forestry agent Robbie Hutchins.