Courtesy of the North Louisiana Master Gardeners
The newly renamed and expanded “Hoogland Tree Trail” officially opened Tuesday morning at Lincoln Parish Park, marking the culmination of a community-wide effort led by the North Central Louisiana Master Gardeners.
Members of the family of the late Fredric Lee Hoogland joined Lincoln Parish Park Manager Al Young and representatives from multiple organizations during the dedication ceremony held May 26.
North Central Louisiana Master Gardeners President Claire Carroll honored Hoogland during the ceremony by quoting longtime outdoor writer Glynn Harris.
“Harris remembers your dad as ‘a visionary in the truest sense,’” Carroll told the family. “Fredric Lee Hoogland was the founder of one of the most popular attractions not only for Lincoln Parish, but for the surrounding area. Hoogland located, promoted and worked for the parish to purchase the area that would become Lincoln Parish Park.”
Carroll said the original tree trail was created in 2015 by Master Gardeners and initially featured 20 identified and tagged trees.
She noted that the project, like many parish beautification efforts undertaken by the organization, is funded and maintained through proceeds from the annual North Central Louisiana Master Gardeners plant sale held each April in Ruston.
Tree Trail Committee Chair Dora Ann Hatch recognized the numerous community partners who contributed to the expanded trail project, including Young and retired park manager James Ramsaur.
“We were always greeted warmly, and help was provided when we needed it,” Hatch said.
Hatch said the trail rejuvenation effort began in 2025 with the original goal of simply replacing signs on the existing 20 trees. However, the project evolved after retired LSU AgCenter forestry agent Ricky Kilpatrick walked the trail with committee members.
Following those walks, the committee decided to expand the trail by identifying and tagging additional trees throughout the park. LSU AgCenter agents Valerie West and Kyleigh Bass also assisted with tree identification efforts.
Dr. Joshua Adams, professor in the School of Agricultural Sciences and Forestry at Louisiana Tech University, and several of his students later joined the project during its final identification phase.
“The more time we spent in the forest, the more we learned about what park-goers enjoy,” Hatch said. “The committee realized that families use the park, so we revised our goal to make the tree trail a family-friendly nature experience.”
Each tagged tree now includes both scientific and common names along with a QR code linking visitors to additional information about the species.
The QR codes were created by Lincoln Parish GIS District employee Jackson Matthews, while GIS staff member Ethan Duck developed a detailed map identifying the location of each tagged tree along the trail. The map is displayed on a sign near the trailhead entrance.
Information linked through the QR codes was modeled after a format used by the Friends of the Louisiana State Arboretum. Jim Robinson, representing the organization, granted permission for the format’s use, while Louisiana Tech forestry students compiled research and information for each tree.
The trailhead sign honoring Hoogland was designed by Louisiana Tech’s School of Design and VISTA Director Tom Futrell along with student artist Mags Cassuto. The pair also created the trail mascot, “Nutty,” an acorn character designed to guide families through the trail and encourage interactive activities such as scavenger hunts.
“This project represents the best of what a community can do when everyone devotes their time and talents to a project,” Hatch said. “We are so grateful for all of our trail partners and for the North Central Louisiana Master Gardeners who spent one and a half years walking the trail, tying ribbons, posting signs and raising funds to make the trail a family-friendly experience.”
Following the ceremony, Hatch encouraged visitors to experience the natural beauty Hoogland envisioned decades ago.
The Louisiana Master Gardener Program is a volunteer development program offered through the LSU AgCenter. Locally, the program is facilitated by Bass, LSU AgCenter assistant county agent.
