Louisiana has 13.8 million acres of forestlands covering approximately 48% of the total state area. The majority (62%) is owned by private, non-industrial landowners, forest industries own 29% and 9% are public lands. The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF), Office of Forestry, is tasked with timberland wildfire suppression. [1] and the state maintain eight district headquarters with seventeen divisions and many substations or yards. [2]
By Act 113 the Louisiana legislature created the Department of Forestry in 1904. The Department of Conservation was created by Act 144 in 1908. In 1915 funds were directed for fire protection work allowing the hiring of lookout watchmen or patrolmen. In 1917 public education for fire prevention work began. In 1922 the first steel fire tower was built near Bogalusa on Great Southern Lumber Company land. In 1923 the second tower was built near Urania. Prior to these two towers rungs were nailed to a pine tree with a perch erected near the top. By 1943 thirty-nine fire towers had been built and by 1950 the number had increased to fifty-six. [3]
Many fire towers still exist with the majority being inactive but many are maintained in reserve. Those having coordinates below can be seen together on a map by clicking "Map all coordinates using OpenSourceMap" at the right side of this page.
![]() |
Name | Parish | Nearest town or city | Coordinates | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abita lookout tower [4] | St. Tammany | Mandeville | 30°26′14″N90°02′45″W / 30.43722°N 90.04583°W | Still standing. | Unsure if still used, property is owned and actively used by the LA Dept. of Agriculture. Can be seen here on Google Street View. |
Aimwell Lookout Tower | Catahoula | Aimwell (Northeast of Jena) | 31°47′48″N91°58′46″W / 31.79667°N 91.97944°W | Torn down? | Cannot verify on aerial imagery, removed from USGS maps in 2015. Aimwell Lookout Tower |
Angie Lookout Tower | Washington | Angie | 30°57′52″N89°51′20″W / 30.96444°N 89.85556°W | Torn down. | The USGS site lists the tower as "Angle", last appearance on a USGS map was in 2012. |
Antiock Lookout Tower | Claiborne | Haynesville | 32°52′45″N93°00′33″W / 32.87917°N 93.00917°W | Torn down? | Last appears labeled on USGS map from 2012. GNIS ID: 1630038 |
Antonia Lookout Tower | Grant | Pollock | 31°36′06″N92°25′14″W / 31.60167°N 92.42056°W | Torn down. | Last labeled on a USGS map in 2012, cannot find on aerial imagery. |
Athens Lookout Tower | Claiborne | Athens | 32°39′28″N93°3′35″W / 32.65778°N 93.05972°W | Torn down. | USGS Maps labeled the tower in 2012, but removed it from the 2015 map. Cannot find on earliest aerial imagery in the area. |
Bay Spring Lookout Tower | LaSalle | Community of Little Creek | 31°44′37″N92°15′34″W / 31.74361°N 92.25944°W | Torn down. | Last appears labeled on 2012 USGS map, cannot find on earliest aerial imagery in the area from 1998. |
Beaver Lookout Tower | Evangeline | Beaver | 30°46′49″N92°33′30″W / 30.78028°N 92.55833°W | Torn down. | Unable to view on street view or older aerial imagery. |
Beekman Lookout Tower | Morehouse | Beekman | 32°55′46″N91°51′5″W / 32.92944°N 91.85139°W | Torn down. | Unable to view on street view or older aerial imagery. |
Bel Lookout Tower | Allen | Bel | 30°31′21″N93°5′1″W / 30.52250°N 93.08361°W | Torn down. | Visible on aerial imagery until 2018. Can be seen here on Google Street View. |
Belah Lookout Tower | La Salle | Belah | 31°38′32″N92°10′55″W / 31.64222°N 92.18194°W | Torn down. | Unable to view on street view or older aerial imagery. |
Big Hill Lookout Tower | Sabine | Robeline | 31°41′29″N93°14′50″W / 31.69139°N 93.24722°W | Torn down. | Unable to view on street view or older aerial imagery. |
Blackburn Lookout Tower | Claiborne | Blackburn | 32°50′22″N93°10′58″W / 32.83944°N 93.18278°W | Torn down. | Appears on aerial imagery from 1998. |
Blue Lake Lookout Tower | Sabine | Ebarb | 31°35′41″N93°44′17″W / 31.59472°N 93.73806°W | Torn down. | Disappears from USGS Maps in 1983. Unable to find in aerial imagery. |
Bodcau Lookout Tower | Bossier | Bellevue | 32°41′50″N93°30′23″W / 32.69722°N 93.50639°W | Torn down. | Torn down in 2009 for construction of additional state park facilities. Can be seen on Google Street View here. |
Bolinger Lookout Tower | Bossier | Bolinger | 32°56′29″N93°43′52″W / 32.94139°N 93.73111°W | Torn down. | Appears on 1984 revision of 1955 map, disappears on 1981 version of the map. Unable to find aerial imagery. |
Clinton Lookout Tower | East Feliciana | Clinton | 30°52′36″N90°56′41″W / 30.87667°N 90.94472°W | Torn down. | Visible on satellite imagery up until 2019, can be seen here on Google Street View before decommission. |
Dry Creek Fire Tower | Beauregard | Dry Creek | 30°39′54″N92°59′42″W / 30.66500°N 92.99500°W | Still standing/Inactive | Damaged [5] |
Evans Lookout Tower | Vernon | Evans | 30°58′57″N93°26′22″W / 30.98250°N 93.43944°W | Torn down. | Tower is visible in historical aerial imagery. Appears to have seen demolition between 2016 and 2018. |
Fields Fire Tower | Beauregard | Fields, DeQuincy | 30°33′29″N93°32′21″W / 30.55806°N 93.53917°W | Still standing [6] | Tower is visible here on Google Street View. |
Gordon lookout tower | Beauregard | DeQuincy | 30°28′47″N93°20′11″W / 30.47972°N 93.33639°W | Still standing* Used on high wind days [7] | Tower is visible here on Google Street View. |
Kisatchie Lookout Tower | Natchitoches | Kisatchie | 31°27′20″N93°10′51″W / 31.45556°N 93.18083°W | Still standing/active use. | Tower can almost be seen here on Google Street View. |
Liverpool Fire Tower | St. Helena | Greensburg | 30°55′35″N90°43′45″W / 30.92639°N 90.72917°W | Still standing/active use. | Tower can be seen here on Google Street View. |
Livingston Fire Tower | Livingston | Livingston | 30°33′17″N90°45′9″W / 30.55472°N 90.75250°W | Torn down. | Tower was torn down between 2016 & 2017, can be seen here on Google Street View. |
Longville Fire Tower | Beauregard | Longville, DeRidder | 30°39′23″N93°13′57″W / 30.65639°N 93.23250°W | Torn down. | Tower was torn down in 2003~ for US 171/US 190 highway widening project. Clearly visible in google earth aerial imagery from 2003. |
Lorraine Fire Tower | Tangipahoa | Lorraine | 30°30′22″N90°16′38″W / 30.50611°N 90.27722°W | Still standing. | Tower looks disused/retired. Visible here on Google Street View. |
Merryville Lookout Tower | Beauregard | Merryville | 30°43′16″N93°30′21″W / 30.72111°N 93.50583°W | Torn down. | Tower is visible on old aerial imagery. Appears to have been torn down between 2015 and 2016. Base of the tower is barely visible here on Google Street View. |
Pine Grove Lookout Tower | St. Helena | Pine Grove | 30°42′38″N90°45′10″W / 30.71056°N 90.75278°W | Torn down. | Tower inconsistently labeled on maps. Last appears labeled in 2012. Cannot find in older aerial imagery |
Pride Lookout Tower | East Baton Rouge | Pride | 30°42′30″N90°56′21″W / 30.70833°N 90.93917°W | Torn down. | As with others, appears on 2012 map, removed from 2015 map. Visible here on Google Street View prior to decommission. |
Sardis Lookout Tower | Winn | Atlanta | 31°50′39″N92°42′28″W / 31.84417°N 92.70778°W | Torn down. | Last appears on USGS map from 2012, not visible in aerial imagery. Location was just NW of current water tower. |
Sheridan Lookout Tower | Washington | Sheridan | 30°51′29″N89°58′24″W / 30.85806°N 89.97333°W | Still standing/active use. | The USGS maps here from 1945 shows the location of a LA National Guard target range just south of this structure. |
Springville Lookout Tower | Livingston | Springville | 30°26′20″N90°39′27″W / 30.43889°N 90.65750°W | Torn down. | Long retired, the tower was removed in March 2018. Livingston Parish Fire Protection District #2 posted a video on Facebook of it coming down. Visible here on Google Street View. |
Sunny Hill Lookout Tower | Washington | Sunny Hill | 30°53′57″N90°15′57″W / 30.89917°N 90.26583°W | Still standing. | Visible here on Google Street View. |
Walker Lookout Tower | Livingston | Walker | 30°25′58″N90°51′28″W / 30.43278°N 90.85778°W | Torn down. | Can only verify on old maps. Current location of Livingston Parish Fire District #4 station. |
Wilson Lookout Tower | East Feliciana | Wilson | 30°54′21″N91°6′47″W / 30.90583°N 91.11306°W | Torn down. | Disappears from satellite imagery sometime after 2016. Top of the tower seems visible on nearby street view imagery from 2008, but resolution is of low quality. |
The Pecatonica River is a tributary of the Rock River, 194 miles (312 km) long, in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois in the United States.
The Clarion River is a tributary of the Allegheny River, approximately 110 mi (177 km) long, in west central Pennsylvania in the United States. It drains a rugged area of the Allegheny Plateau in the Ohio River watershed, flowing through narrow serpentine valleys and hardwood forests.
Black Mountain is the highest mountain peak in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, United States, with a summit elevation of 4,145 feet (1,263 m) above mean sea level and a top-to-bottom height of over 2,500 feet (760 m). The summit is located at approximately 36°54′51″N82°53′38″W in Harlan County, Kentucky near the Virginia border, just above the towns of Lynch, Kentucky and Appalachia, Virginia. It is alternatively known as Katahrin's Mountain, and is about 500 feet (150 m) taller than any other mountain in Kentucky.
A fire lookout tower, fire tower, or lookout tower is a tower that provides housing and protection for a person known as a "fire lookout", whose duty it is to search for wildfires in the wilderness. It is a small building, usually on the summit of a mountain or other high vantage point to maximize viewing distance and range, known as view shed. From this vantage point the fire lookout can see smoke that may develop, determine the location by using a device known as an Osborne Fire Finder, and call for wildfire suppression crews. Lookouts also report weather changes and plot the location of lightning strikes during storms. The location of the strike is monitored for a period of days afterwards, in case of ignition.
Mount Mee is a rural town and locality in the City of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Mount Mee had a population of 519 people.
Alexander State Forest is located in Rapides Parish, Louisiana near the town of Woodworth. It was established in 1923 as a state demonstration forest. It contains the Indian Creek Recreation Area and the Alexander State Forest Headquarters Building, constructed in 1935, is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Azure Mountain is a 2,323-foot-tall (708 m) mountain near Blue Mountain Road in the Adirondack Park town of Waverly in Franklin County, New York. Azure Mountain is the site of the Azure Mountain Fire Observation Station, a 35-foot-tall (11 m) steel tower that was built in 1918 and later restored in 2002. The fire tower was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Cochise County, Arizona. It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. The locations of National Register properties and districts for which the latitude and longitude coordinates are included below, may be seen in a map.
The lookout trees in Kaibab National Forest are the survivors of a system of improvised fire lookout towers that used tall, straight trees as vantage points. The practice of using trees as lookouts was widespread in the western United States during the early 20th century, as there was no need to build a foundation or to pack and assemble a tower structure. Instead, a prominent tree could be selected, and a ladder or a series of spikes could be attached to the tree trunk. For transient use this could be all that was done, but for more permanent use the top 10 feet (3.0 m) of the tree could be lopped, and a platform constructed on the resulting stump. This railed platform was then outfitted with a seat and a platform for an Osborne Fire Finder.
The Satsop Hills are foothills of the Olympic Mountains in Mason County, Washington north of Matlock, Washington, between Wynoochee Lake to the west and Lake Cushman to the east.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) is an agency within the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Founded in 1906 with a focus on wildland fire suppression and fire protection, the Forest Fire Service is the largest firefighting department within the state of New Jersey in the United States with 85 full-time professional firefighting personnel, and approximately 2,000 trained part-time on-call wildland firefighters throughout the state. Its mission is to protect "life and property, as well as the state's natural resources, from wildfire".
The Forests Department was a department of the Government of Western Australia created in 1919 under Conservator of Forests Charles Lane Poole, that was responsible for implementing the State's Forests Act (1918–1976) legislation and regulations.
Sproul Hill is a mountain in the Finger Lakes region of New York. It is located in west of Watkins Glen in Schuyler County. The mountain is the location of a 67-foot-6-inch-tall (20.57 m) steel fire lookout tower known as the Sugar Hill Fire Tower which was built in 1941. The tower ceased fire lookout operations at the end of 1988, and remains on the mountain and is open to the public.
Waaje Fire Tower No.4 is a heritage-listed fire lookout tower at Barakula State Forest, Barakula, Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1964 by Arthur Leis. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 25 January 2018.
Utsayantha Mountain is a 3,209-foot-tall (978 m) mountain in the Catskill Mountains of New York. It is located east-southeast of Stamford in Delaware County. Variant names include Utsayanthe Mountain, Utsayanthia Mountain, Utsayantho Mountain, and Utsyantha Mountain. McGregor Mountain is located southeast of Utsayantha Mountain and Churchill Mountain is located southwest. Utsayantha Mountain is named after Utsayantha, the daughter of Chief Ubiwacha, chief of the Lenape Indians.
Goodnow Mountain is a 2,664-foot-tall (812 m) peak in the Adirondack Mountains of New York in the United States. It is the location of the Goodnow Mountain Fire Observation Station. In 1922, the Civilian Conservation Corps built a 60-foot-tall fire tower on the mountain. The tower closed at the end of the 1979 season. The tower was later transferred to SUNY College of Forestry and is now open to the public.