<span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: ‘Lucida Sans’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Southeast of the intersection of Tank Farm Road and Elliott Road is a large tree farm. Can you identify the type of trees growing there?</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">They’re eucalyptus trees, said J.C. Chellete of Prairie Land Co., the property owner.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Chellete said the trees, known for their accelerated growth rate, were planted by MeadWestvaco, which has since merged with RockTenn to form WestRock.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">He said the Tank Farm Road trees — part of about 2,000 total acres of eucalyptus planted parishwide — will be harvested in 2017 and will be used at the company’s paper mill in Evadale, Texas.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The Informer answered a similar question in 2013, when a reader wondered about the uses of eucalyptus trees, which she’d seen in Beauregard and Calcasieu parishes. Keith Hawkins, an LSU AgCenter forestry expert, said then that the trees’ leaves and bark are used to fuel boilers and that the trunks are used for pulp.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">From eucalyptus management guidelines published by the AgCenter last year:</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">“There are more than 700 species within the Eucalyptus genus, and several of these species can tolerate freezing naturally. There is ongoing research to identify families within species that have exceptional cold tolerance and to enhance cold tolerance through selective breeding within and between species.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">“So far, the species that has exhibited the best balance of cold tolerance and fast growth is Eucalyptus benthamii. This species is originally from limited areas west of Sydney, Australia, and it has proven suitable for regions with cold climates and frequent frosts in several countries. Eucalyptus benthamii currently is the most common eucalyptus species planted in Louisiana and Texas.”</span>

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<span style="font-weight: bold;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">Online:</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">www.westrock.com; www.lsuagcenter.com.</span>

<span class="R~sep~AHeadBrief">‘Debts’ keyword for legal tender law</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: ‘Lucida Sans’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">How is it legal for government offices to refuse to accept cash when it states on all U.S. currency that “this note is legal tender for all debts, public and private”?</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Section 5103 of U.S. Code Title 31 says that “United States coins and currency … are legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes, and dues.” The keyword is “debts,” which denotes money owed to creditors.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“There is … no Federal statute mandating that a private business, a person or an organization must accept currency or coins as for payment for goods and/or services,” reads the U.S. Treasury Department’s website.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“Private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether or not to accept cash unless there is a State law which says otherwise. For example, a bus line may prohibit payment of fares in pennies or dollar bills. In addition, movie theaters, convenience stores and gas stations may refuse to accept large denomination currency (usually notes above $20) as a matter of policy.”</span>

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<span style="font-weight: bold;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">Online:</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">www.law.cornell.edu/uscode; www.treasury.gov.</span>

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<span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">The I</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">nform</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">er answers questions from rea</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">ders each Sunday, Monday a</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">nd Wednesday. It is re</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">searched and written by</span> <span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">Andrew Perzo</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">, an</span> <span style="font-style: italic; font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">American Press</span> <span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">staff wri</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">ter. To ask a question, call</span> <span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">494-409</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">8 and leave voice mail, or ema</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">il informer@americanpress.com.</span>