An installation aimed at helping local community members of Louisiana’s Gulf Coast restore the storm surge barriers can best be described as creating a technology to help make local efforts to restore wetlands more successful.
Bald Cypress are a keystone species in Coastal Louisiana, as well as the state tree. Their role in creating storm surge barriers is a vital one. As a first line of defense, Bald Cypress stands allow bayou marshlands to survive.
After three months the planted Cypress survived predation from Nutria, a highly invasive aquatic rodent that decimates unprotected seedlings by pulling them up and chewing their roots. The trees are growing and holding strong on a small island.
This project was made possible with support from The Puffin Foundation and Tulane University, Center for Bioengineering Research.
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