Willamette Industries, Inc. signed on Sept 6 an agreement with The Nature Conservancy of Louisiana and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries to assure protection of three rare saline soil prairies. Under the agreement, Willamette will list a 300-acre area of its land in Winn Parish with the Louisiana Natural Areas Registry.

“Only through working with partners such as Willamette are we able to conserve unique and important natural areas such as these saline prairies,” said Keith Ouchley, state director of the Conservancy. “Willamette's commitment to conserve this area is a plus for conservationists across the state and they should be commended for their efforts.”

The Louisiana Natural Areas Registry is a voluntary conservation program administered by the Louisiana State Department of Wildlife & Fisheries Natural Heritage Program and The Nature Conservancy. The program recognizes conservation efforts by individuals, corporations, land managers and agencies.

Working to protect special sites throughout its ownership is one of the policies outlined in Willamette’s Sustainable Management for Timber, Water Quality and Wildlife program. According to Andy Kepper, sustainable forestry coordinator for Willamette's Southern region, this partnership represents a long-term commitment to preserve one of the state’s most unique areas.

“The Nature Conservancy is unmatched in its knowledge of these rare habitats,” Kepper said. “Our cooperative management agreement with them will ensure the species found in these saline prairies will be around for generations to come.”

Scientists believe saline soil prairies form from an influx of underground salt water that rises to the surface and evaporates over time. Known to locals as "licks" or "slicks," these prairies contain mosses, algae, lichens and many unusual plants.

The saline prairies are one of the few places known on in the world to host Geocarpon minimum, also known as earthfruit, which is a federally listed endangered plant species.

Though they are found in this habitat in north Louisiana, these plants are more typical of the coast along with seaside goldenrod and salt grass. A challenge to botanists, the earthfruit can only be seen about four weeks out of the year, flowering in early spring. It then produces seed and disappears until the next year.

The Nature Conservancy's mission is to protect plants, animals and the natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. Using a non-confrontational approach, the Conservancy works in partnership to effectively protect rare habitat and create a legacy for future generations. The Nature Conservancy is an international non-profit organization that relies on private donations from individuals, corporations and foundations to accomplish important conservation efforts.

Willamette Industries, Inc. was founded in 1906 as the Willamette Valley Lumber Company in Dallas, Oregon. It is an integrated forest products company with more than 100 manufacturing facilities across the U.S., Europe and Mexico. The company produces kraft liner, corrugated boxes, paper bags, fine paper, plywood, lumber, engineered wood products, and other value-added forest products. Willamette owns 1.6 million acres of forestland that are managed through its Sustainable Management for Timber, Water Quality and Wildlife program.

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