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Garden Can Be Greener Without Cypress Mulch |
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The Times Picayune - New Orleans, June 21 2008
As gardeners turn to mulching to fend off heat and weeds in their summer beds, it's a good time to take a look at the ongoing controversy over cypress mulch.
Once favored as the platinum level of mulches, its use now is being discouraged through massive public information campaigns by organizations across the Gulf Coast, including the
Waterkeeper Alliance, Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper, Atchafalaya Riverkeeper and the Save Our Cypress Coalition. Because cypress is grown primarily in wetlands areas, opponents of cypress mulch say, cutting the trees contributes to habitat destruction and the erosion of wetlands, an important line of defense againt hurricanes.
Moreover, they continue, green-minded individuals won't be losing anything by boycotting cypress mulch: It doesn't work as effectively as gardeners once believed.
"People think that cypress mulch is more rot-resistant and insect-resistant, but scientists at the University of Florida have shown that there are equally effective sustainable alternatives that don't deplete our natural wetlands and don't deprive our gardens of the benefits of mulching," said Dan Favre, campaign manager of the nonprofit Gulf Restoration Network. "The really sad piece of all this is that the popularity of cypress mulch is predicated on myths."
Molly Reid - Staff Writer
The Times Picayune
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The Toll of Producing Cypress Mulch |
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The Washington Post, May 19 2008; Page A16
The May 11 Business article "Shreds, Reds and Stony Beds" recommended the use of cypress mulch. But the Sierra Club,
along with its partners in the Save Our Cypress Coalition, has been
fighting for years against the destructive and unsustainable logging
practices of the cypress mulch industry.
Louisiana, Florida and the other Gulf states are paying a premium so
that unknowing consumers can use cypress mulch in their gardens.
Cypress mulch is not a byproduct of milling operations. The mulch
industry is clear-cutting tens of thousands of acres of century-old
trees, which lack the commonly touted rot- and insect-resistant
characteristics of the ancient growth, and is putting them into a
chipper and sending them off to your local retailer or garden center.
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Gardeners asked to avoid using cypress mulch |
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The Daily Times - Salisbury, Md., April 15th 2008
..."Since the cypress tree has such a specific
habitat and is slow to germinate, they were replaced with maple and gum
trees," Fehr said. "And contrary to popular belief, cypress trees are
not a sustainable product because they are so hard to grow."
Cypress
trees are not protected in Louisiana, Alabama and Florida where they
are clear cut for mulch. Fehr said this further destroys their
sensitive habitat and prevents new trees from taking root.
"It also creates the potential for invasive species to come in and crowd out cypress trees," he said....
By Laura D'Alessandro
- Staff Writer
The Daily News
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Cypress Forests - Threatened Now More Than Ever |
Coastal Cypress Forest
THE CURRENT THREAT
Though Louisiana's wetlands face serious threats from coastal land loss
and development, widespread clear cutting of cypress forests is also a
very imminent danger.
In the past cypress mulch used to be a by-product of lumber
mills. This is no longer true. The mulch purchased today comes from
wide spread clear cutting of entire eco systems.
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