Louisiana's Chopped Forest

Isn't Louisiana susceptible enough to natural disasters? Now, 18 months after Katrina, it turns out that some of the state's coastal cypress forests, which help protect against storm surges by absorbing excess wind and water, are being clear-cut to make mulch, the soil stabilizer found in many gardens. Removing these trees could aggravate the impact of the next big storm. "People who garden should be disturbed that critical forests are being shredded just to end up in their flower beds," says Sierra Club's Orli Cotel. Chuck Corbitt, CEO of Corbitt Manufacturing, a top mulch supplier, told TIME that some of his mulch--including...

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