Treatment Wetlands

Many cities are using wetlands not only to enhance the environment, but to enhance their sewage treatment systems as well. Wetlands are considered the most productive habitat and can house hundreds of different species of plants and wildlife. The numerous plants in a wetland environment pull from the water contaminants that can harm the system such as the chemicals used in fertilizers (phosphorus and nitrogen) and medications. Wetlands can remove these harmful contaminants naturally without the need to add other chemicals which can have side effects or expand existing sewage treatment plants.

Diverting runoff from paved surfaces to wetlands allows time for sediments to settle out, contaminants to be removed and water release to natural systems to be controlled. Rain gardens, man-made wetlands built in or near parking lots and other paved areas, are becoming increasingly popular.

Treatment wetlands and rain gardens can all be improved by using air-pruned plants whose superior root system allow even larger amounts of contaminants to be removed.

Restoring Hardwood Forests

Driving down I-10 from Florida to Louisiana a few weeks ago, I had hoped to see some of the colors of fall. What I actually saw was miles and miles of pine trees dotted with the occassional oranges, reds and golds of the native hardwoods. In many places this overabundance of pines is the result of an attempt to reforest areas after the native hardwoods were logged. Pines seem a natural choice for this effort as they grow faster than most hardwood species and return an area to a shaded forest environment much quicker. But at what price? The loss in diversity not only extends to the species of trees in the forest, but to the wildlife as well. Native wildlife depends on the many different types of trees for their homes and food and replanting every forest that is logged with pines will force some species to either adapt or leave.

As long as people continue to use paper and build wooden houses, logging will be a part of life, and a lucrative business. I personally witnessed the anguish of landowners in Mississippi who lost most or all of the trees on their property during hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Many of these people considered the opportunity to log the timber on their land as a retirement plan and most of that timber was pine. Approximately 50% of the forest in all the southern states is held by private land owners who intend to log within the next 10 years. In the next 40 years, another 10-15% of those forests will be lost to urban sprawl.

Can anything save the native hardwood forest? I believe the air-pruning process can do just that. By accelerating the growth rate and improving survival, the air-pruning process can produce a diversity of native hardwood species that mature in the same or better time as a traditional pine tree. The tremendous initial growth and early fruiting of EMI trees means that a logged area could be returned to a suitable habitat with shade, food and shelter for many wildlife species much quicker. In fact, many federal, state and local agencies (DOT, EPA, NRCS) recommend air-pruned trees because of their many habitat friendly qualities. I would love to see areas replanted with their native hardwood species and keep pine trees planted where they are native.

Revitalize Endangered Species

According to the 2006 IUCN Red List, there are over 7,000 species of tree that are threatened or endangered, 23 species are extinct in the wild and 79 species are gone forever.

One difficulty in revitalizing an endangered tree is a limited seed source. Seeds must be collected from the few trees that remain and used to grow seedlings in a controlled environment until they are strong enough to be planted in the wild. These young trees (depending on the species) can take up to 30 years before they begin to contribute to the seed source. Air-pruning can speed that process exponentially. All species on which air-pruning has been tested have begun to produce seeds within the first three years.

The following table shows the difference in the number of trees produced using air-pruning versus traditional methods. Several assumptions are made 1) there are 10 original trees to be used as seed source 2) one seed from every seed producing tree is collected, processed (only for air-pruned), germinated, grown and planted every year 3) traditionally grown trees require 30 years for seed production 4) air-pruned trees require 1 to 3 years for seed production and 5) there is 100% survival of all trees once planted.

Number of Original Trees	Number of Years the Planting Process is to be Repeated	Total Number of Trees at the End of the Time Period Using the air-pruning Process	Total Number of Trees at the End of the Time Period Using Traditional Methods
10	5	62	50
10	10	445	100
10	15	3,150	150
10	20	22,328	200
10	25	158,287	250
10	30	1,122,108	300

By causing trees to produce seeds in 1 to 3 years instead of 30, air-pruning increases the seed source every year exponentially. With minimal effort, as air-pruning is very simple, any endangered tree species could be revitalized.

A Native American Proverb

WE DO NOT INHERIT THE ENVIRONMENT FROM OUR ANCESTORS; WE BORROW IT FROM OUR CHILDREN.
A Native American proverb.

So, why do we insist on leaving our children with nothing? A report from 2005, based on a study by 1,360 experts in 95 nations, stated that "humans are damaging the planet at an unprecedented rate and raising risks of abrupt collapses in nature that could spur disease, deforestation or "dead zones" in the seas." How many reports need to be published before people realize that this planet is in a downward spiral?

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast. With greatly diminished wetlands, the storm surges ran inland for miles almost unchecked. The logical response to this disaster is to begin reclaiming coastal areas for planting trees and restoring wetlands. Or is it? The Corps has proposed reducing and even eliminating permitting requirements for filling wetlands in the Gulf Coast to aide in rebuilding efforts. The need for so much rebuilding was exacerbated by the diminished wetlands and now they want to make it easier to fill in what is left.

I think we have already borrowed more from our children than we can ever pay back. It's time to do something different.

About EarthMark

EarthMark International Plants, Inc, EMIP, utilizes a unique process that has proven to accelerate growth and early fruiting of most plants. This air-pruning process known as EMIP (Early Maturity Inducement Process)® has had impressive initial results accelerating growth and improving survival of many species of trees. EMIP (Early Maturity Inducement Process)®, which includes the use of an organic plant supplement, increases overall hardiness and accelerates the growth of processed trees.

The core of an EMIP (Early Maturity Inducement Process)® tree's success is in its roots. These trees are grown in successively larger pots until ready for sale and planting on site. Bare root seedlings are typically planted in the ground at a nursery and allowed to grow for 1 to 3 seasons before being dug up and potted for sale. Digging up the bare root seedling cuts or tears the roots causing a period of transplant shock, which EMIP (Early Maturity Inducement Process)® trees do not experience. The EMIP (Early Maturity Inducement Process)® also causes massive production of feeder roots, which allow the tree to "believe" that it is 15 to 20 years old after one growing season. This accelerates the tree's growth, causes early nut/fruit production, gives the tree a more solid foundation once planted and provides a greatly increased ability to obtain oxygen, water and food during harsh conditions (flood or drought) during the trees early stages.


How You Can Help Save the Environment

Wetlands are among the most productive habitats on earth providing shelter and nursery areas for commercially and recreationally important animals like fish and shellfish, as well as wintering grounds for migrating birds. Louisiana contains 40 percent of the coastal wetlands in the lower 48 States and for the last 50 years has lost an average of 34 square miles a year. The 2005 hurricane season greatly intensified this loss. The change from land to water in all of coastal Louisiana from 2004 to 2005 was 118.2 square miles, almost 25% of the land loss projected to occur over a period of 50 years (2000 - 2050) by the Louisiana Coastal Area Ecosystem Restoration Study.

EMIP is working with academic universities to replant marsh and wetland areas from the Louisiana Gulf Coast to the Florida Everglades. For $15.00, a tree (cypress, water oak, button brush, etc.) can be produced in a nursery, shipped to a project location and planted in a restoration project. You can help. Whether your donation is enough for a tree or a whole forest, you can do your part to protect and reclaim this vital piece of our environment.

Every cent of every donation goes directly to producing a tree.

If you would like, you can donate now.

Cypress seedlings in an EarthMark nursery greenhouse.

Cypress trees in pots at an EarthMark nursery.

How You Can Help

Wetlands are among the most productive habitats on earth providing shelter and nursery areas for commercially and recreationally important animals like fish and shellfish, as well as wintering grounds for migrating birds. Louisiana contains 40 percent of the coastal wetlands in the lower 48 States and for the last 50 years has lost an average of 34 square miles a year. The 2005 hurricane season greatly intensified this loss. The change from land to water in all of coastal Louisiana from 2004 to 2005 was 118.2 square miles, almost 25% of the land loss projected to occur over a period of 50 years (2000 - 2050) by the Louisiana Coastal Area Ecosystem Restoration Study.

EMIP is working with academic universities to replant marsh and wetland areas from the Louisiana Gulf Coast to the Florida Everglades. For $15.00, a tree (cypress, water oak, button brush, etc.) can be produced in a nursery, shipped to a project location and planted in a restoration project. You can help. Whether your donation is enough for a tree or a whole forest, you can do your part to protect and reclaim this vital piece of our environment.

Every cent of every donation goes directly to producing a tree.

If you would like, you can donate now.

Cypress seedlings in an EarthMark nursery greenhouse.

Cypress trees in pots at an EarthMark nursery.