A history of the Alexandria Forestry Center Herbarium

Abstract

The Alexandria Forestry Center (AFC) Herbarium developed as a result of early forest research influences in Louisiana. Specifically, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service research programs in the region during the early 1920s highlighted the need to identify and understand the significance of understory plants. Initially the issue was weed control in nurseries, but other needs soon developed. For example, the use of forests for cattle grazing raised issues related to the competition of cattle and wildlife for similar forage. To help understand these and other issues, scientists began identifying and documenting the plant species across the range. Over time, the collections themselves broadened, as did the people and organizations that used them. In the 1940s, the herbarium housing the collections was moved to the AFC. Here, the plant collections have continued to grow and are now serving the needs of both research and Kisatchie National Forest (KNF) botanists who have responsibility for identifying and protecting a wide range of plants on national forest lands.

Parent Publication

• Celebrating 100 years of forest science: an abridged history of the Southern Research Station

Citation

Barnett, James P. 2023. A history of the Alexandria Forestry Center Herbarium. In: Bragg, Don C., ed. Celebrating 100 years of forest science: an abridged history of the Southern Research Station. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-272. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station: 7-10.