The use of organic mulches is one of the cornerstones of environmental responsibility.
by Mike Nowak
However, all mulches are NOT created equal. In fact, the continued sale and use of cypress mulch may very well be causing the destruction of wetland forests along the Gulf Coast. An organization called the Waterkeeper Alliance is fighting to preserve those wetlands that, among other things, stabilize Florida's and Louisiana's coasts against hurricanes and are home to innumerable species of wildlife. You can read the full story in this whitepaper (pdf).
The University of Florida Extension has written on this subject and confirms that the use of cypress mulch is a bad idea. Furthermore, it debunks the idea that the cypress mulch used today is more durable than other mulches. That may have been the case when the heartwood of ancient bald cypress trees comprised the bulk of that product. Those old-growth forests were wiped out almost century ago, yet the clear-cutting–often illegal–continues, threatening the very existence of this species.
Quoting from the UF/IFAS Extension article above:
In a study funded by the UF/IFAS Energy Extension Service, horticulture extension agent Gary Brinen and other staff at the Alachua County Cooperative Extension Office compared the effectiveness of alternative mulches with that of cypress, studying 15 different kinds of landscaping mulches over a six-month period. The results of the research showed three alternative mulches -- wood chips, pine bark and pine straw -- rated just as high as cypress.
"Both landscapers and homeowners were involved with the study, and both lost their biases for cypress mulch," Brinen said.
While some environmental groups are lobbying the national box-store chains to give up on cypress mulch, incredibly, others have a business as usual approach.
This is where MELA comes in. Our membership consists of landscapers, growers, educators and others in the horticultural industry. We are the link between the industry and the consumer, and our effect can be threefold. We can
1) refuse to use cypress mulch in our businesses.
2) educate our clients about the destructive impact of cypress mulch use and advise them to purchase other mulch products.
3) encourage our suppliers to eschew the use of cypress mulch.
In the words of the Waterkeeper Alliance, “Why Kill a Tree to Grow a Flower?”
Why, indeed.
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