Help save our beautifuland environmentally valuable

native cypress.

Spread the wordand spread the right kinds

of mulch!

Cypress Mulch

Why kill atree togrow aflower?

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Notes:

1 National Audubon Society’s CorkscrewSwamp Sanctuary in central Florida contains theworld’s largest remaining old-growth BaldCypress forest. In north Florida you can see somevery large old cypress trees in Florida’s first stateforest, Pine Log State Forest.

2 Several counties in Florida restrict cypressmulch use. This is done by ordinances, landdevelopment codes or regulations. DadeCounty’s code for new developments #1897-15(G)(3) even says, “cypress mulch shall not beused because its harvest degrades cypresswetlands.” And Florida Department of Transpor-tation Standard Specifications for Road andBridge Construction #580-8 says, “no cypressmulch is allowed.”

3 There is more evidence that cypress doesnot make the best mulch. According to theFlorida Cooperative Extension Service’s March1994 Fact Sheet ENH 103, “When dry, cypressmulch repels water, making it difficult to wet,particularly if it is on a mound or slope.” More-over, once it is wet “cypress mulch appears tohave a high water-holding capacity that mayreduce the amount of water reaching the plantroot zone.”

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This brochure was written by Barbara Waddell and the Pepper Patrol of Ruskin, Florida. Illustrations by Susan Johnston (www.artworkbysusan.com).

Graphic Design by Mariella Johns Smith(http://home.earthlink.net/~insightwebsite).

Produced and distributed by the Suncoast Native Plant Society, Inc., a chapter of the Florida Native

Plant Society.

Suncoast Native Plant Society, Inc.P.O. Box 82893

Tampa, FL 33682-2893

http://suncoastnps.org

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You can help save ourcypress forests by usingenvironmentallyfriendly mulch foryour home and businesslandscaping, and byasking your friends andcounty government to do thesame.2 If you don’t �nd alternativemulches at your landscape supply store, enlighten themanager and request alternatives.

The old idea that cypress mulch is superior to othermulches is not true anymore. The old-growth cypressharvested prior to the 1950’s had a reputation forbeing rot- and termite-resistant. But those trees haveall been taken except for the few saved in our naturepreserves. It takes hundreds of years for a cypresstree to grow the heartwood that used to have thoseproperties. The young cypress that are harvestedtoday are not decay or pest resistant and do notmake a superior mulch.3

In any garden supplyor nursery store you’re likely to see bags and bags ofcypress mulch for sale. Did you ever stop to thinkabout the resulting fate of our magni�cent Floridacypress tree?

The unique cypress forest is a beautiful Floridatreasure with an important ecological role. It naturally�lters pollutants and serves as a reservoir for �ood-water, and so it is essential for protecting groundwater—quality and quantity. It is a prime habitat forwoodpeckers, wood storks, limpkins, several types ofowls, opossums, bobcats, and wood ducks. Cypressforests protect our wildlife and our wetlands.

Almost all of Florida’s old-growth cypress forests aregone now. They were clear-cut for lumber decadesago. Most of the cypress stands we see today arerelatively young trees. You may be fortunate to stillsee examples of huge old-growth cypress in a veryfew nature preserves. They can live up to 1500 yearsand grow up to 150 feet tall and 25 feet in girth. 1

Thousands of acres of cypress arelogged every year simply to producemulch. Most of Florida’s cypress sawmills aremulch mills, grinding the entire tree in large chippers,producing nothing but mulch. Cypress mulch used tobe produced mainly as a by-product of lumberoperations, but the increasing demand for mulch hasled to the use of whole trees—whole forests—fornothing but mulch.

Cypress mulch is being clear-cut from our nativewetlands and the destroyed cypress trees are notbeing replanted. (Establishing the proper hydrologyfor cypress seed germination is di�cult and rarelyaccomplished by anyone but Mother Nature.) When acypress area is clear-cut and bare, that land is easilytaken over by invasive pest plants such as Brazilianpepper. Sometimes the land is planted in pine forfuture logging, or drained for development. Eitherway, the cypress forest and its wetland and wildlifeare lost forever.

Alternative Mulches

Recycled Yard WasteMulch made by your county or city from recycledurban plant debris is very inexpensive (or even freein some areas). To locate your closest source,contact your Solid Waste Department or countyExtension Service.

Pine BarkAn excellent mulch with long-lasting color, it is a a by-product of the timber industry. Pine bark isvery e�ective in weed and seedling control.

Pine StrawAvailable commercially by the bale, or free if yourake it yourself. When purchased, pine straw is more expensive by the cubic foot than pine bark,but does not need as much to cover a given area.Pine straw allows more mosture to penetrate to the soil than other “chunky” mulches

Melaleuca MulchMelaleuca, or punk tree, is an invasive non-native tree that has taken over 500,000 acresof the Florida Everglades. Turning this treeinto mulch helps rid the state of this terriblepest plant. Hopefully this mulch will be soldmore widely as people learn to request itfrom their stores. It is extremely long-lastingand termite-resistant.

Cypress trees have “knees”

which grow from their roots

and protrude above the ground

or high water mark. The wood

stork, pictured here perched on

these cypress knees, is just one

of the many creatures which �nd

refuge in cypress swamps.

Eucalyptus MulchProduced from plantation-grown trees, this mulchis naturally insect-repellent, with a rich, long-lasting color.

Fallen LeavesLearn the value of your “yard waste.” The leaves you rake, especially oakleaves, are free, abundant, and makea great mulch.