Alexander State Forest, located in central Louisiana, was established in 1923 when the state purchased 2,068 acres from Mrs. Eloise Polk Burrows. Though originally intended to be the first of several state owned demonstration forests, today it is the only one. The forest was named in honor of M. L. Alexander, Louisiana's first commissioner of conservation.

Nine additional purchases of adjacent properties over the next 15 years expanded Alexander State Forest to its present size of approximately 8,000 acres. The multiple-use forest contains 700 acres of bottomland hardwood, 5,000 acres of southern yellow pine and the 2,250 acre Indian Creek Lake and Recreation Area.

The land was mostly barren when purchased. However, today it is an excellent example of reforestation and forest management containing about 35 million board feet of timber. Extensive tree planting was undertaken when a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp was located on the forest during 1933 - 1940. During CCC days, the enrollees, mostly World War I veterans, built the log administrative building, which is now listed on the Louisiana - National Register of Historic Places. The 175-foot Woodworth Fire Tower at the headquarters compound is believed to be the tallest fire tower in the world.

Alexander State Forest is managed under the multiple-use concept, providing a variety of benefits, including timber production, improved wildlife habitat, hunting, recreational opportunity, water and soil conservation, forest management research, and habitat for several endangered species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker. Approximately 75 percent of the state forest acreage is managed for hunting and other recreational activities.