A major infrastructure upgrade at the Natchitoches Parish Port is giving new strength to Louisiana’s forestry economy, with the port’s rehabilitated truck dump and wood chip conveyor system now online and moving residual wood chips by rail to national buyers. Supported by Louisiana Capital Outlay funding and operated in partnership with Kisatchie Chips, the upgraded system is helping stabilize mill operations across Central and North Louisiana.
The project emerged in late February following the closure of the International Paper mill in Campti, when Governor Landry, Secretaries Bourgeois and Schowen, state legislators, and regional business and community leaders met in Natchitoches Parish to assess the economic impact and identify critical needs for keeping the sector viable. Among the highest priorities was restoring reliable outlets for the movement of residual wood chips from area mills to national markets. That discussion set the pathway for the state-funded rehabilitation that ultimately brought the truck dump and conveyor system back into operation.
This existing infrastructure at the port has now been modernized through the installation of a new rail car loading radial stacker conveyor and the full rehabilitation of the truck dump and conveyor system, enabling high-volume, efficient rail loading. The system became operational in early November, and the Natchitoches Parish Port holds the primary agreement with Kisatchie Chips, which is contracted out by International Paper to manage day-to-day transloading operations.
Residual chips handled through the port will originate primarily from RoyOMartin’s Chopin plywood facility, the largest plywood mill in North America. Maintaining reliable outlets for these residual materials is essential to sustaining production levels at Chopin and supporting the broader forestry supply chain.
At this time, RoyOMartin is expected to transport approximately 35–36 truckloads of chips each week, most of which will be transported by rail out of state. The truck dump and conveyor system also positions the port to support additional mills and new users, including companies evaluating the facility for potential barge shipments of bark fuel to northeastern markets.
