A little victory in the Cypress Mulch Front

[BOSSHOG]

Wal-Mart has agreed to stop selling Cypress Mulch harvested in Louisiana. Home Depot and Lowes may follow suit. The move is expected to extend the life span of the coastal wetland forests which aid in protecting the state from hurricane damage. The move by Wal-Mart and maybe other retailers may put an end to the 30 million dollar cypress industry according to the director of the LA Forestry Assn. While that would be bad news for workers in Louisiana, it should not have any effect on the demand for mulch.

Source: AP wire story in local paper.

[porphyrian]

1. The trees will still be destroyed if developers aren't reigned in as well. - n/t

[BOSSHOG]

2. Yes, another catch-22

The current fear is that land will be sold and as one opponent of the ban on selling the mulch said, where the trees are now will soon become a Wal-Mart parking lot.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

3. Score one for the coastal wetland forests

Here's a link:

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/9608602.html

[BOSSHOG]

4. I hope that opponents of the ban

don't do something rash. This move will not put an ounce of a dent in the mulch market, they'll just be less Cypress Mulch available, instead it will be where it supposed to be.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

5. There are alternatives to cypress

If one wants a good mulch that doesn't draw pest there's cedar. Much more cedar is used in commercial applications than cypress and there's a goodly amount of mulch that's produced as a waste product from the milling.

But good luck explaining that to people.

Personally, I use my excess juniper and leaves that I shred up myself. And I only use alfalfa on my garden though. There I'm a purist. I do realize that many people don't have that option however.

You know I wonder if hemp could be grown as a mulch material? It doesn't attract carpenter ants nor termites and it grows like a weed. If not that then there should be some form of more easily renewable organic that would work relatively well and be attractive enough to be marketable.