Mulch - Are you planning to buy any? PLEASE READ

[ash&abby'smom]

There was an article in our newspaper about purchasing mulch. Here is what the article states:

If you use mulch around your house be very careful about buying mulch
this year. After the Hurricane in New Orleans many trees were blown
over. These trees were then turned into mulch and the state is trying to
get rid of tons and tons of this mulch to any state or company who will
come and haul it away. So it will be showing up in Home Depot and Lowes
at dirt cheap prices with one huge problem; Formosan Termites will be
the bonus in many of those bags. New Orleans is one of the few areas in
the country were the Formosan Termites has gotten a strong hold and most
of the trees blown down were already badly infested with those termites.
Now we may have the worst case of transporting a problem to all parts of
the country that we have ever had. These termites can eat a house in no
time at all and we have no good control against them, so tell your
friends that own homes to avoid cheap mulch and know were it came from.

Just thought I would share this in case anyone is planning to purchase mulch for there flower beds. Something you might want to check into.

 

[ntburns22]

Thanks for this, my dh always goes cheap when we buy it.

 

[Bob Slydell]

It's an urban legend:

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/termites.asp

 

[In a hurry]

It's an urban legend:

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/termites.asp

WOW! I'm impressed! I love snopes, but never even questioned this one! I almost switched plans because of it!

 

[Tigger_Magic]

Statement from Lousiana Dept. of Agriculture & Forestry:

The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Office of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, has quarantines in place in the Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita affected parishes of Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington.

All woody debris in the quarantined areas is going to an approved landfill within the designated quarantine area. There are a multitude of government (state and federal) agencies that are looking at this debris every day as it is deposited into these landfills. The contractors mulching and hauling the debris know the regulations and are abiding by them according to the quarantine requirements.

If there is anyone with knowledge of debris moving out of a quarantine area, they should contact our 24-hour hotline @ 225-925-3763. These are serious allegations and will be taken seriously.

Matthew Keppinger
Assistant Commissioner
Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry