The bald cypress, also known as taxodium distichum, is a deciduous conifer that is an integral part of the Southeastern United States as well as the Gulf Coastal Plains – from Delaware to Texas, up along the Mississippi River and down into Louisiana. The trees are as American as Manifest Destiny and their towering bodies captured the hearts and minds of settlers as they moved from east to west. Bald cypress forests are reminders of America’s potential for growth and her unbridled strength.
In Phinizy Swamp Nature Park, located in Augusta GA, volunteers are planting bald cypress seedlings in an area that was formerly farmland. Ruth Mead – the senior education specialist for the park’s operator – says, “You could say we’re trying to jump-start nature.” Volunteers at Phinizy Swamp understand the importance of reforestation. Additionally, they are aware of symbolic significance of the bald cypress and its importance to growth in this country.
In the article “Baldcypress seedlings used to jumpstart new wetland”, Rob Pavey of The Augusta Chronicle writes, “The 300 seedlings were grown locally and donated by a member of WeForest, an international nonprofit organization that promotes reforestation.” The benefits of reforestation are truly limitless. It can trigger climate change, improve the quality of air, maintain an area’s ecosystem, and is a source of food for a number of different animals. Forests also provide an escape for men and women. A simple walk through the woods can do wonders for the soul. It is, to put it simply, de-stressing.
You cannot go wrong with the bald cypress. Reforestation is the future. At Cold Stream Farm, we have wholesale/retail cypress trees!
For more information on the Phinizy Swamp project, including videos, look here.
*Image courtesy of Craig Hradel
