Stewardship Tip May 19th, 2009- Sustainable Mulch
It seems that most houses in our neighborhood use 10 to 20 bags of mulch every spring. Mulch makes sense, it keeps the weeds down, holds the grass at bay, and helps to keep the soil moist. Mulch was once a by-product of the logging industry. Recently, though, there is a trend, in some areas, to clear-cut trees and use them exclusively for garden mulch.
Clear cutting of timber contributes significantly to erosion. This has a severe impact on our watersheds. We can help to reduce clear cutting by choosing mulch that comes from sustainable sources.
Sustainable Mulch: Recycled yard waste, leaves, and pine straw make excellent mulches and are readily available. At the garden store, you can look for pine bark, recycled pecan shells, and coconut husks. These all come from sustainable sources. Eucalyptus works well and is farmed for mulch.
If you have any doubts about whether the mulch you are buying comes from a sustainable source, check the label for Forest Stewardship Council certification.
Why it is important to the fish: Reputed to be highly decay and bug resistant, cypress mulch is prized by gardeners. While the heartwood from old-growth cypress trees is highly resistant to decay, most, if not all, of today’s mulch comes from younger trees that have not developed the decay and insect resistant properties of older trees.
Wetlands face serious threats from clear cutting of cypress forests. In 1900, Louisiana had an estimated 2.2 million acres of cypress forests. Only 800,000 acres of cypress forests remain. Some estimates indicate that about 20% of cypress mulch comes from trees cut explicitly for mulch.
Whether it is done is coastal Louisiana or in the Pacific Northwest, clear cutting of trees creates erosion that threatens our waterways and our fish. Help to reduce the demand for clear cutting. Start in the garden by selecting sustainable mulch.
To read more about the threat to the cypress forests, visit the save our cypress website.
This week’s sponsor-partner: Safe Angling
SAFE Angling Kits are tackle boxes packed with lead free weights and jigs, biodegradable floats and molded baits, single and circle hooks and more. Just $15! Buy one at Green Tackle
Rising demand for our weekly Stewardship Tip and a new partnership with Fly Cast America now makes the Stewardship Tip available in Spanish. Ahora, reciba el Stewardship Tip en español. Gentileza de Fly Cast America.
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