Kisatchie National Forest
Evangeline District
Rapides Parish, Louisiana

Located just off Louisiana Highway 287, the Louisiana Natural Heritage Program (LNHP) classifies this area as a Riparian Small Stream Forest because of its location along Loving Creek, its season flooding, and its soil classification as a silt-loam. Among the speices displayed in the photo above, Chasmanthium sp.(oatgrass or spikegrass) is an important species in the riparian areas and bottoms of Louisiana. It occurs in the understory of pine plantations and mixed forests on wet to dry sites, as well as along streams.  Chasmanthium sp. is increasingly present after burning.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has more information about the Louisiana Natural Heritage Program (LNHP) and the classification of Natural Communities of Louisiana.