| Bald Cypress | | | | the timber industry because it is very strong and |
| Bald cypress is a deciduous tree that grows along | | | | does not rot. |
| creeks, rivers, swamps and streams, and basically | | | | It is also resistant to water, and is called 'wood |
| anywhere with slow moving water. It is a long lived | | | | eternal' and is very valuable because of this. If you |
| tree, with a life span of up to six hundred years. It is | | | | go to swamps in New England or even New Jersey |
| quite a legendary tree, known for its distinctive | | | | you can see prehistoric trees of this kind that has |
| moss-covered crown, buttressed trunk and its | | | | wood that can still be used. This wood, which will be |
| 'knees'. | | | | mineralized to some degree, is mined from these |
| | | | swamps and then used for wood carvings, which is |
| The Bald cypress is quite a large tree, capable of | | | | one of its specialty uses. |
| reaching heights of up to one hundred and fifty | | | | This tree is known for having a particularly high |
| meters. The trunk is generally buttressed and fluted | | | | merchantable yield, and the swamps in which it grows |
| near the base, especially in wetter areas. The tree | | | | happen to be some of the most productive |
| has a pyramid-shaped crown during its younger years | | | | ecosystems in the world. |
| and as the tree grows older, it becomes flat-topped. | | | | However, lumber use has declined because it is a |
| While it grows in water, the shallow roots tend to | | | | slow-growing tree, it is harvested from wetlands, and |
| rise up above the soil to form cone-shaped | | | | the population of mature trees is much smaller than in |
| pneumatophores, called its 'knees'. | | | | the past. |
| It has flat, needle-like leaves that are a light yellowish | | | | Popularity |
| green. The fruits produced are round cones that can | | | | The Bald cypress is a very popular ornamental tree, |
| be up to one inch in diameter. They are green, | | | | grown for its light, feathery foliage and orange-brown |
| leathery and wrinkled. When fully mature, the cone | | | | fall colour. In cultivation it thrives on a wide range of |
| becomes woody and it finally disintegrates when the | | | | soils including well-drained sites where it would not |
| scales on it fit closely together. | | | | grow naturally due to the inability of the young |
| Uses | | | | seedlings to compete with other vegetation. |
| The base of the trunk of this tree has a unique | | | | However, these trees do need a rather continental |
| shape, and this has led to artists creating clocks, wall | | | | climate having hot summers for them to grow well. It |
| décor and other furniture by using the tree's | | | | can still grow healthily in areas that have cool |
| cross-sectioned roots. This tree is particularly popular | | | | summers and oceanic climates, but its growth will be |
| in landscaping due to its ornamental beauty. The | | | | much slower, and cones will not be produced. |
| old-growth heartwood it supplies is in high demand by | | | | |