Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) is one of the most important and valuable timber species in the world due to its superior wood characteristics, durability, and ability to grow at high densities within inundated habitats. Bald cypress technically is not a true cypress such as those within the genus Cupressus. It is within the genus Taxodium, and family Cupressaceae (Bragg 2011). Bald Cypress is the state tree of the state of Louisiana, where the majority of the United States’ permanent swamps are located. Bald cypress is also commonly called gulf cypress, red cypress, tidewater red cypress, white cypress and yellow cypress (Kennedy 1972).
Bald cypress has a range that extends along the Atlantic coast, west to the gulf coast region, and throughout the Mississippi River Valley. Bald cypress can be found in extensive stands primarily in the gulf coast region and the Mississippi River Valley where it was historically found in large abundant stands. Another Taxodium variety closed related to bald cypress is Pond cypress (Taxodium distichum var. nutans). The range of pond cypress is similar, but only extends close to the coastline occupying waters with lower salinity levels. From a timber standpoint, both species are harvested and considered bald cypress (Kennedy 1972).
Bald cypress is a durable, slow growing but long lived, deciduous, conifer that particularly well adapted to wetland habitats (Cox and Leslie 1988). It is an intermediate shade tolerant species. It is slowing growing in partial shade, and produces the best growth in full overhead sunlight. Along with tupelo (Nyssa spp.), bald cypress is widely considered to be able to grow and thrive at unusually high stand densities (McGarity 1979, Wilhite and Toliver 1990). The exte...
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McGarity, R.W. 1979. Ten-year Results of Thinning and Clear-cutting in a Muck Swamp Timber Type. South. J. Appl. For. 3:64–67.
Wilhite, L.P., and J.R. Toliver. 1990. Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich. Baldcypress. P. 563–572 in Silvics of North America, Vol. 1: Conifers, Burns, R.M., and B.H. Honkala (tech. coords.). Agricultural Handbook 654. US Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC.
Kennedy, Harvey E., Jr. 1972. Baldcypress (Taxodium distichum). FS-218
Bragg, Don C. 2011. Cypress Lumbering in Antebellum Arkansas. Arkansas Review: A Journal of Delta Studies 42(3):185-196.
Cox, P. W., & Leslie, P. (1999). Texas Trees: a Friendly Guide.. U.S.A: Corona Pub. Co..
Keim, R. F., Dean, T. J., Chambers, J. L., & Conner, W. H. (2010). Stand Density Relationships in Bald Cypress. Society of American Foresters, 56(4), 336-343.
Grelen, Harold E. May Burns Stimulate Growth of Longleaf Pine Seedlings. New Orleans: Southern Forest Experiment Station, 1978.
Zielinski, E. (2012, April 25). The Northwest Forest Plan. Retrieved from U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORBUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT: http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/history/sidebars/ecosystems/Northwest_Forest_Plan.html
happens because the roots emit pigments of red color into the soil which then runs into the water. Even though the amount of red pigment released is very little, due to the large amount of cedar trees in the Pine forests, the water is affected. The main crops of the Pine Barrens include blueberries and cranberries. There are also many rare plants that can be found in the Pinelands. One of these is the pitcher plant which is related to the Venus Fly Trap. Plants such as these have an influence on how nitrogen is depleted in the Pine Barrens and also on how the Pine “Barrens” got there name, nothing like vegetables grow there. The pitcher plant helps prevent pollution from entering the lakes as well as help in preventing flooding. The lakes in the Pine forest are home to the tree frog. These forests are also home to many other animals like cranes, water snakes, turtles, salamanders, and other frogs.
Each of these Pennsylvania evergreen species provides a variety of resources unique to their own species. Whether it be producing timbe...
The area extends into Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. “The terrain is rolling with lower, wetter bottomlands that grow hardwood trees such as elm, mesquite and ash. This region is home to a variety of plants and animals that like woodlands and shorelines.” (Texas Parks and wildlife, n.d.) The major rivers in this area are the Sabine, Cypress, Sulpher, and Red. The major aquifer is the Carrizo-Wilcox. And the land area of the Pineywoods is 23,500 square miles. “Regional average rainfall for the area is 40-52 in./yr. and the reagional average net evaporation rate is 16-32 inches.” (Texas Parks and wildlife, n.d.) “The average temperature in the Pineywood’s region can range beteween 36(F) in the winter to upwards of 94(F0 in the summer.” (unknown,
When people see new construction or a recently paved road, they often do not realize the sacrifice that was made to create these luxuries. Most people pass some form of construction on the way to their jobs or school every day. This simple fact sparks questions regarding what this area looked like before it was inhabited by humans. Illinois forests have undergone drastic changes in the decades since European settlement. Only 31 % of the forest area present in 1820 exists today. (Iverson Pdf) Tearing down trees to build new structures isn’t bad if done in moderation, in some ways with time and good planning its wonderful. However, anyone that hunts or claims to be an outdoorsman will relate to the incomparable feeling experienced when alone in the woods and far from the hustle of the urbanized world.
The Everglades, classified as a wetland or a "transition zone" can support plant and animal life unlike any other place. Wetlands are an important resource for endangered species and "that more than one third of the United States' threatened and endangered species live only in wetlands." Says Elaine Mao, the author of Wetlands and Habitat Loss. People have started to notice the importance and the role of wetlands like the Everglades and how they are valuable and essential for ecosystems to live. Wetlands provide so many kinds of plants, mammals, reptiles, birds, and
The taiga is also known as boreal forest and is mainly distinguishable due to its abundance of carnivorous forests that are primarily made up of conifer or cone-bearing trees (NP, UC Santa Barbara). Three of the four most common conifers are evergreens, namely spruce, fir, and pine. The fourth conifer is the tamarack, also known as the larch, which is a deciduous tree. Other types of deciduous trees that can occasionally be found in the taiga include oak, birch, willow, and alder trees. The taiga does not feature a wide variety of plant life in comparison with other biomes due to its harsh climate; thin, acidic, and nutrient-lacking soil; and rocky terrain.
Many old-growth forests across the landscape of northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan contain a mixture of tree species rather than a monoculture. Many researchers have put forward ideas to explain the competition and co-existence of tree species in such communities. A theory explaining competition and co-existence between two species is gap regeneration. Gap regeneration is when a gap is created upon death of a plant individual and a new individual, sometimes of the same species as died and sometimes not dependent on environmental heterogeneity, takes its place (Kenneth Lertzman). Canopy gaps during gap regeneration can be explained by either reciprocal replacement or habitat preference . In a reciprocal replacement, seedlings of one species would be found predominately under large trees ...
Munger, Gregory T. "Lythrum Salicaria." Lythrum Salicaria. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, 2002. Web. 02 Feb. 2014.
The heavy rains (150 inches a year) are famous in the Pacific Northwest and have created a lush, mossy and primeval-looking forest of enormous trees. Generally on the western side of the park, there are several ways to ...
About 800 years ago, a great civilization inhabited the land in west Alabama, located along the Black Warrior River, south of Tuscaloosa. It encompassed a known area of 320 acres and contained at least 29 earthen mounds. Other significant features include a plaza, or centralized open area, and a massive fortification of log construction. The flat topped, pyramidal mounds ranging from three to 60 feet, are believed to have been constructed by moving the soil, leaving large pits that are today small lakes. As major ceremonial center, up to 3000 people inhabited the central area from 1200-1400 AD. An estimated 10,000 lived around the stockade, which surrounded three sides of the civilization (Blitz 2008:2-3; Little et al 2001:132).
[1] “Mixedwood Plains.” Canadian Ecozones. Toronto: n.p., n.d. N. pag. TDSB Online Library School Sites. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. .
The Western forests are drastically different from what they were like before the European settlement. In pre-European time, the forests were open and park-like with only 25-35 trees per acre surrounded by areas of open grasslands. One could easily ride a horse through the spacious forest. This, however, is not possible in today's forests. Today, for example the Ponderosa pine forests, have over 500 trees per acre, creating thick dense areas of trees, brush, and bushes (President Bush, 4). The pre-European forests were subject to frequent low inte...
Globally coastal wetlands are disappearing at an alarming rate, the problem is most of society does not realize the value of these precious wetlands. Coastal wetlands provide an important role in the coastal ecosystem. “Coastal wetlands provide critical services such as absorbing energy from coastal storms, preserving shorelines, protecting human populations and infrastructure, supporting commercial seafood harvests, absorbing pollutants and serving as critical habitat for migratory bird populations”(Anonymous, 2011). Coastal wetlands are an economical asset as well as an environmental one.