ENROLLED
2018 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 42
BY REPRESENTATIVE HILL
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To urge and request the Department of Agriculture and Forestry to study the feasibility of
creating a lumber grading training program under the office of forestry.
WHEREAS, small sawmills producing local-use lumber have levels of production
that make obtaining and maintaining the ability to grade-stamp cost prohibitive; and
WHEREAS, New Hampshire passed legislation in 1994 to allow sawmills registered
with the New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands to certify local lumber or lumber
sawn in the state for local end-use applications; and
WHEREAS, Wisconsin passed legislation in 2004 to establish a basic lumber grading
training program to allow individuals to grade lumber for use in the construction of
dwellings under very limited circumstances; and
WHEREAS, New Hampshire and Wisconsin offer one-day courses on lumber
grading standards and require individuals to take a grading test upon completion of the
course that must be retaken every five years to maintain certification; and
WHEREAS, these courses are offered through the University of New Hampshire
Cooperative Extension and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and are under the
authority of the Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food and the Department of Natural
Resources, respectively; and
WHEREAS, in Louisiana, the office of forestry under the Department of Agriculture
and Forestry is responsible for the facilitation of educational programs relating to forestry;
and
WHEREAS, Louisiana currently has forestry programs offered at Louisiana State
University and Agricultural and Mechanical College at Baton Rouge, Southern University
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and Agricultural and Mechanical College at Baton Rouge, Louisiana Tech University at
Ruston, and Central Louisiana Technical Community College at the Oakdale and Huey P.
Long campuses, which will merge with SOWELA Technical Community College in July
2018; and
WHEREAS, offering a basic lumber grading training program either directly through
the office of forestry or in partnership with one of the state's existing college forestry
programs would allow small mills to grade local lumber for individuals to use in their
homes.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request the Department of Agriculture and Forestry to study the feasibility of
creating a lumber grading training program under the office of forestry and submit a report
of its findings and recommendations to the legislature no later than February 1, 2019.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
to the commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, the state forester, the
Louisiana State University vice president for agriculture and dean of the College of
Agriculture, the chancellor of the Southern University Agricultural Center and dean of the
College of Agriculture, the president of Louisiana Tech University, and the chancellor of
SOWELA Technical Community College.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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