Louisiana Passes State Logger Relief Legislation

Loggers across Louisiana are looking forward to receiving a $25,000 grant thanks to legislation passed this spring by the state legislature and signed in June by Gov. John Bel Edwards.

The Louisiana Loggers Relief Program allows logging businesses to receive a grant of $25,000 following a tough year of pandemic concerns and hurricane impacts that have affected state loggers. The total $10 million program is administered through Louisiana’s Main Street Recovery Program with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

Toni McAllister, executive director of the Louisiana Loggers Assn., said that “Louisiana loggers always make me proud to advocate for these amazing people who live quiet lives, working day in and day out to provide for rural Louisiana. I’m speechless and I know this financial aid will help so many, in such a difficult time.”

The program also reflects logging’s role in the state as essential workers and businesses, said Buck van der Steen, executive director of the Louisiana Loggers Council. “It’s a good way to recognize people who often go unseen but are extremely vital.”