The Environmental Protection Agency has finally begun to require permits for logging in southern Louisiana , which has still not stopped the wholesale clear-cutting of cypress forests. So in the meantime, the safety of our nation’s already depleted wetlands comes down to sellers and consumers of cypress mulch. Big mulch retailers — like Lowe’s, Home Depot and Wal-Mart — have been slow to take real action about the mulch in their stores. But all three companies should put into place formal, meaningful policies that guarantee their cypress mulch comes from sustainable sources rather than the imperiled swamps of the Gulf Coast . Until then, consumers would do best to avoid cypress mulch altogether, switching instead to mulches made from pine bark, pine needles or straw. These work just as well and do not have the same environmental impact.

News notes are courtesy of Southern Forests Network News Notes
www.southernsustainableforests.org