One of the most popular things to do for visitors to Louisiana is touring the swamps! I had never seen these amazing trees till I came to Florida and have been mesmerized by them ever since. The lush growth in a Louisiana swamp is indescribable. The Bald Cypress looks like it is evergreen but it is a deciduous tree so it does lose all its leaves here in the Houston areathus the "bald" moniker. It was chosen thanks to the fourth graders of Jefferson Terrace Elementary School in Baton Rouge and their teacher Ms. Juanita Sommers. :) Yes cypress trees are a staple in the deep South. (Billiot, Wendy Wilson. 2020 Albany Woodworks 30380 PAYNE ALLEY RD TICKFAW LA 70466| (225) 567-1155. :). This honor only added to its reputation with craftsmen and wood workers for its wonderful work-ability for hundreds years. swamp in the United States. Included in the same building is the Cypress Sawmill Museum which exhibits a variety of artifacts, photographs and films of this early regional industry. Chemin a Haute Bayou, Chemin a Haute State Park, Morehouse Parish "Castle tree", 6. Ernest Slough and Goat/Porter's Island, West Pearl River area, St. Tammany Parish, 9. through Monday, we're to have severe storms. Interestingly, man has learned from nature how to use architectural buttresses similar to bald cypress knees to help support many buildings that otherwise might not stand. Bayou Loutre-Phillips Lake, Union Parish, 12. A bill was drafted and passed in 1963. Some interesting facts about the Atchafalaya Basin: An American-Indian word, "Atchafalaya" (ah-CHA-fa-LIE-ah) means long river. I am glad you found this topic interesting. commercial harvest of nearly 22 million Cypress lumber harvested and milled in Louisiana was shipped in mass quantities across the United States. Unlike most conifers (which are evergreens), the bald cypress is deciduous, and loses its needles in the fall, giving the tree a "bald" appearance). Copyright 2022 Louisiana-Destinations.com All Rights Reserved. Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum); photo by Jerry Oldenettel on Flickr (noncommercial use permitted with attribution / share alike). Tickfaw State Park "Grandma Tree", Tangipahoa Parish, 3. They thrive in swampy areas and can tolerate almost any type of soil conditioneven saline. Cypress trees can live to be hundreds of years old. Another popular place in his homes for cypress was in kitchen designs. Last, the specimen is entered in the official state registry of "Louisiana Purchase and Louisiana Bicentennial Trees.". Most tours are concentrated in South Louisiana as shown in the map below of major concentrations of swamp tours. It became popular, especially in warm climates like Key West, New Orleans, Charleston, and Savannah, as the go to for front doors, exterior wood siding, windows and shutters. An additional 8,000 people are employed in the harvesting and transportation of the resource. Read more about the Atchafalaya Basin Swamp. I cannot pass by them without being in awe. This timeless and enduring look became the calling card for Southern architecture. Peggy Woods (author) from Houston, Texas on March 31, 2016: When leafed out they do have an evergreen appearance but we both know that they are notthus the 'bald' name for at least a portion of the year. Those are probably the ones you meant? C E Clark from North Texas on May 23, 2016: Lots of information and great photos! Private, non-industrial landowners own 62 percent of the state's forestland, forest products industries own 29 percent and the general public owns 9 percent. It was resistant to decay, a good thing in the humid Louisiana environment. The annual cypress harvest is estimated at 30 million board feet of cypress each year. Through the Louisiana Purchase Cypress Legacy (LPCL), volunteers work to identify and landmark bald cypress trees that are at least 215 years old, or alive at the time of the Louisiana Purchase (1803). The seeds also float in the water and are spread that way. Thats when the US Forest Service officially recognized old growth forests as a distinct ecological and biodiversity resource. By legislative Act No. Others tours originate in South Louisiana cities such as Breaux Bridge, Henderson, Slidell and Thibodauxas well as in the Atchafalaya Basin. In the early twentieth century, timber and lumber companies harvested hundreds of thousands of acres of cypress trees, which resulted in the depletion of the old-growth virgin cypress." We have a small orange tree in our yard and it is loaded with blossoms. 49 identifies the official tree as "bald cypress" ( Taxodium distichum), offering that the bald cypress is commonly known as the "cypress" tree. Buckhorn Wildlife Management Area, Brushy Lake Trail, Tensas Parish (see March 2012 Blog entry), 4. Want to see a tree? The oil renders the wood rot-resistant, making it an ideal boat-building material; in the past, it was used to build pirogues as well as larger bateaus and skiffs. As mentioned in the title, the bald cypress is the official state tree of Louisiana. Peggy Woods (author) from Houston, Texas on March 29, 2016: I assumed as much. They selected it because of its beauty, prevalence and economic impact on Louisianas history. Sinker Cypress was used to restore several ceilings through the home. Peggy Woods (author) from Houston, Texas on March 21, 2016: Happy to be able to inform you as to what those protuberances or "knees" were as related to the bald cypress. bottomland hardwood forest in North America Bald Cypress. Country Roads Magazine, 28 Jan. 2014, Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights. The State of Louisiana employs various forest conservation efforts as well to conserve and revitalize this invaluable natural resource in Louisiana and to raise awareness of ongoing threats to remnant old growth habitats, such as sedimentation, salt water intrusion, and cypress logging for mulch. The swamp is bordered on the north by U.S. 11, on the south by Lake Borgne, on the east by the Pearl River and the west by the West Pearl River. Unlike most conifers (which are evergreens), the bald cypress is deciduous (it loses its needles in the fall - giving the tree a "bald" appearance). Patricia Scott from North Central Florida on July 08, 2018: From the time I first found these in Florida they have fascinated me. on September 15, 2018: The Cypress tree is majestic and looks beautiful in the fall. Peggy Woods (author) from Houston, Texas on March 25, 2016: We certainly do need our trees to keep producing oxygen into the air not to mention their beauty and haven for wildlife, etc. Often they would lose some logs along the way, which have become today's sinker cypress, sinker pine, even walnut and other varieties. Peggy Woods (author) from Houston, Texas on May 23, 2016: I am sure that cypress tree knees can be made into beautiful pieces of art. The Basin is home to the largest nesting concentration That is because a significant portion of New Orleans is now below sea level. The Louisiana Cypress grows slowly, but can grow to great height, so that in some swamps, though tall, they will not have a cone on top, which has been swept away by past hurricanes. This deciduous conifer tree from the cypress family Cupressaceae sheds its light feathery foliage during the winter months, first turning a burnt orange, tan, or rusty color. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. Hope you have a good day today! Bald cypress swamp with spanish moss in Louisiana bayou (Jean LaFitte National Historical Park and Preserve);photo by Vilseskogen on Flickr (noncommercial use permitted with attribution / share alike). Learn how your comment data is processed. Thanks for sharing the information, Peggy. The Atchafalaya Basin is the nations largest river swamp, containing almost one million acres of the nations most significant bottomland hardwoods, swamps, bayous and backwater lakes. Maybe it's because they are coniferous. This content is accurate and true to the best of the authors knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional. The most impressive objects in the swamp are the cypress trees which are very graceful in their structure, with their reddish bark, exquisitely bent branches, and delicately fine leaves. About 65 species of reptiles and amphibians Known by many names, including Tidewater Red Cypress, Southern Cypress, and Gulf Cypress, the Southeast Coast is home to Taxodium distichum or Bald Cypress. Thanks for the good wishes! Thanks for helping to keep me in the know. I learned much from him. During the early 2000s, many cypress swamps were clear cut to make cypress mulch. It is among the most culturally rich and ecologically varied regions in the United States, home to the widely recognized Cajun culture as well as a diverse population of European, African, Caribbean and Native-American descent. My website is up and operating. They were the original tree huggers - venerators of old growth redwood forests standing for centuries in what are now Sequoia, Redwood and Olympia National Parks, clustered in the Western United States. To this day I enjoy puttering around in our garden, growing plants for beauty and food. Act No. Its five times more productive than any other river basin in North America. According to a source listed below, the oldest living tree in the United States is in the state of North Carolina. The Atchafalaya Basin is a unique combination of wetlands, bayous, marshes, estuaries,and river delta area. Devika Primi from Dubrovnik, Croatia on March 23, 2016: We have tall Cyprus trees and so different from the Bald Cypress. Jackie Lynnley from the beautiful south on March 21, 2016: I have some knee photos I took near a lake and wondered what on earth they were! for the latest tree-cataloging updates. Tensas National Wildlife Refuge (Africa Lake/ Tensas River) Tensas Parish, (Louisianadeltaadventures.com for detailed old cypress paddling trails in north La. In fact we have numerous ones planted right here in our subdivision. Sargent Lake Vicinity, Catahoula Parish **FOUNDER'S TREE** (plaque), 3. Want to get involved? You have shared much that I did not know about them. A swamp is an area of land permanently saturated, or filled, with water. Production peaked around 1913; and by the 1930s all but scattered small islands of cypress had been cut-over. They decided it was time for the state to adopt an official tree. When located in swampy soils, the bald cypress forms "cypress knees" with age that grow up from the roots, probably for stability. You're on fire with productivity! Understandable that your eyes would have been more on the water when driving though Louisianaespecially on Interstate 10 which is right along the water in so many places. Black Bayou Area, Joyce Wildlife Management Area, Tangipahoa Parish, 8. ps. So now I know. Jean Lafitte National Park, Jefferson Parish, 6. Also termite resistant, the old wood was ideal for building homes; and Acadian-style homes still standing today are proof of the lumbers durability. nutria, mink, fox, muskrat, beaver, otter well I learned something new! In fact, Louisiana boasts the largest documented bald cypress in the United States; located on Cat Island (now part of the Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge), this majestic bald cypress measures 53-feet in circumference at breast height. . Check out the list below to plan your next excursion, or visit the. United States. Check the LPCL blog inventory to view in which parishes the oldest cypress have yet to be identified. Sending warm wishes your way today. He often highlighted the beautiful color variation and grain pattern of this wood in kitchen cabinet doors. Able to thrive in standing freshwater, bald cypress grow wild in Louisianas swamps. Bald Cypress. Country Roads Magazine, 28 Jan. 2014). The cypress paneling on the living room ceiling was ahead of its time, currently a desirable trend in todays homes. But its the citizens of Louisiana, the naturalists, scientists, artists, and outdoor adventurers, who drive the current effort to document existing old growth bald cypress trees through an archival project called the Louisiana Purchase Cypress Legacy Initiative. Nice that you are enjoying them up in your area. These trees thrive in the water, but they can also live on land above water as long as conditions are right. We do not have them growing here and it is interesting to learn about how beneficial it is to maintain the stability of the ecosystem. Peggy Woods (author) from Houston, Texas on March 24, 2016: The bald cypress tree can actually survive growing in swampy water all the time as well as growing in places that are not water logged. They are very different from the types of trees that grow in northern climes. They can grow quite tallup to 100 feet or more. ), "Cypress trees were once an historical construction mainstay for Louisiana natives and settlers. And for a State susceptible to hurricanes and tropical storms, the vast coastal cypress forests help to protect the Louisiana coast from the ravages of violent storms and erosion of the coastline.
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