Georgia's cypress forests are endangered - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Georgia's cypress forests are endangered

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DOUGHERTY COUNTY, GA -

By Wainwright Jeffers - bio | email

DOUGHERTY COUNTY, GA (WALB) – An environmental group says Georgia's cypress forests are among the most endangered places in the Southeast.

The Southern Environmental Law Center just released its annual top ten list.

The center says they all face "Immediate, potentially irreversible" damage from a variety of threats.

Georgia Cypress forests are threatened by growing demand for landscaping mulch.

"Cypress trees are very slow growing trees and their presence in wetland areas and forests maintains the integrity of that habitat, the lost of those trees will lead to the degradation of those habitats," said Adam Kaeser, DNR Fisheries Biologist.

Activists in other states have lobbied stores such as Lowe's, Home Depot, to stop carrying cypress mulch.

Georgia's Oconee River and the oil-damaged Alabama coast also made the endangered list.

To see the whole list click here.

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