Cypress Trees
How Logging Affects our Forests
The wood of cypress was a very valuable commodity for early settlers in this region. Old-growth cypress wood was easily worked, very valuable, and resistant to rot. Cypress wood was widely used in building homes and other structures throughout south Louisiana, and its durability is one of the reasons that south Louisiana retains much of its distinctive early architecture among its homes, churches, and cultural centers.
The vast majority of cypress logging activity occurred between 1889 and 1930, with millions of swamp acres yielding hundreds of millions af harvested board feet for construction Logging was difficult, but loggers were very effective at clearing vast areas of Louisiana swamp land. Many of the swamps now visible in south Louisiana are composed of smaller trees that regenerated after peak logging years.
Throughout Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge you can see
remnants of cypress swamps that existed here Logged long ago, all
that remains of the original forest in many cases today are stumps and
rotting cypress knees, which are part of the root and support structure
of the tree, Remnant trees are also sometimes found, but they are
almost always hollow, offering strong evidence for why they escaped
the saw over a century ago.
Erected by U.S. Fish and Wildlife
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Horticulture & Forestry.
Location. 29° 44.494′ N, 91° 27.281′ W. Marker is in Garden City, Louisiana, in St. Mary Parish. It can be reached from Levee Road half a mile Alice C Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Garden City LA 70540, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Louisiana’s River Parishes, in Acadiana Cajun Country, and specifically in Bayou Country. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, on the Gulf Coast, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, Acadia, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Swamps on the Cusp of Change (within shouting distance of this marker); Bayou Teche (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Bayou Teche (about 700 feet away); Welcome to Centerville (approx. 2.6 miles away); Murphy James Foster (approx. 3.1 miles away); Franklin's Historic Lampposts (approx. 4 miles away); Edward V. Loustalot (approx. 4.4 miles away); St. Mary Parish Courthouse War Memorial (approx. 4.4 miles away).
More about this marker. Located on the Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge - Garden City Unit boardwalk self walking trail. Easy trail.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 15, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 12, 2019, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 542 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 12, 2019.
