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(01/26/23) BATON ROUGE, La. — The LSU AgCenter recently filled two positions to support Louisiana’s forestry industry.
Andrea De Stefano was appointed Dec. 1 as an assistant professor in forestry at the AgCenter Hill Farm Research Station in Homer. He is studying sustainable forest management, forest ecology, forest health and invasive species.
His appointment is 60% research and 40% extension.
De Stefano earned his doctorate in renewable natural resources at LSU. He previously worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wyoming and as an environmental scientist at the California State Water Resources Control Board.
Todd Johnson was hired in September as an assistant professor in the AgCenter Department of Entomology. His research program aims to better understand how insects communicate with one another, which can help detect and manage forest pests and invasive species.
His appointment is 80% research and 20% teaching.
Johnson’s doctorate in entomology is from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Before coming to the AgCenter, he was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of New Hampshire.
Timber is Louisiana’s top agricultural commodity. The forestry sector generates nearly $4 billion in economic activity annually.
“Forestry is a major industry in Louisiana,” said Michael Salassi, interim director of the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station. “These two faculty positions will greatly enhance the LSU AgCenter’s ability to conduct research and extension activities that benefit and provide support to the state’s forestry industry.”
Andrea De Stefano
Todd Johnson
The LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Agriculture
