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A Path Home for the Louisiana Black Bear
Reforestation along the Bayou Teche waterway creates safe, connected habitat for Louisiana’s black bears.
October 16, 2025
Healthy forests are giving Louisiana black bears the space and safety they need to thrive.
Along the banks of Bayou Teche, the forest is returning — and so is one of Louisiana’s most iconic residents.
Once nearly wiped out, the Louisiana black bear — the state’s official mammal and a beloved symbol of the Cajun Coast — is making a remarkable comeback. These bears once roamed freely through the bottomland hardwood forests of southern Louisiana, but over the past century, their world grew smaller.
As wetlands were drained and forests cleared for agriculture and development, the bears’ habitat fractured into isolated patches. By the early 1990s, the Louisiana black bear population had plummeted to just 200. In 1992, the species was officially listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Decades later, the key to the species’ continued recovery lies in restoring what was lost. That's why the Arbor Day Foundation and its local partners are planting 150,000 trees, rebuilding the forested home these bears have relied on for centuries.
RECONNECTING THE BAYOU
Stretching 125 miles through the heart of Cajun country, Bayou Teche winds past cypress swamps, sugarcane fields, and small river towns — an ecosystem as rich and complex as the culture that surrounds it.
The Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge, located near the southern end of the waterway, is home to the southernmost population of Louisiana black bears and a focal point for habitat restoration and corridor creation. This reforestation work is part of a larger, multi-phase effort to restore native bottomland hardwood forests — giving wildlife room to roam, breed, and thrive.
Louisiana black bears can travel dozens of miles in search of food, mates, and suitable habitat. But as forests have grown more fragmented, another threat has emerged: the highways that now cut through their shrinking range. Since 1992, vehicle collisions have been the leading cause of bear deaths in the state, claiming more than 240 bears along Louisiana’s roads.
The Arbor Day Foundation–supported project is tackling this challenge head-on, planting a living bridge of trees that reconnects fragmented habitat across the landscape. This growing corridor gives bears a safer, natural route away from busy roadways, expanding their range and strengthening the population’s genetic diversity.
And as the forest returns, so does balance. Reforestation helps restore the wetlands, waterways, and rich soils that sustain all life along the Bayou — from wading birds and crawfish to countless other species that depend on this thriving ecosystem.
FROM ENDANGERED TO ENDURING
Thanks to decades of coordinated conservation and habitat restoration, the Louisiana black bear was removed from the Endangered Species List in 2016, a testament to what’s possible when communities, scientists, and conservationists work together.
But their recovery remains fragile. Habitat loss, rising seas, and stronger storms threaten to undo decades of progress — which is why reforestation matters now more than ever. Forests are home to 80% of all land-based species, and every tree we plant helps rebuild the ecosystems that sustain them. The animals that call these forests home need our continued commitment, and together, we can give life the space it needs to thrive.
The Louisiana black bear’s story is proof that life finds a way to thrive when nature has the space and support it needs. Through decades of strategic reforestation, the Arbor Day Foundation has led the way in restoring forests that protect wildlife, safeguard ecosystems, and give communities the benefits of healthy, resilient landscapes. Every tree planted helps sustain this comeback — one forest, one habitat, one species at a time.
