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Climate Resilient Canopy: Bald Cypress

Writer's picture: Kathryn KruegerKathryn Krueger
 

Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)


The bald cypress is a unique conifer. It produces cones and has green needles like other conifers, but it does not keep these needles year long. Bald cypress is deciduous, meaning that in the fall, it sheds its foliage to conserve energy during a cooler winter season. This casting of needles gives this tree its name, for it appears “bald” in the fall. These trees can live hundreds of years and are visually distinct species. They can begin as pyramidal or columnar in shape, have wide, flared bases, and are often draped in Spanish moss in southern regions. They can grow to be very tall, reaching up to 120 ft.


The bald cypress is a surprisingly hardy species. It can exist in many soil conditions, withstanding both dry and extremely wet soils, and can tolerate salt. While it prefers sandy, acidic, wet soils, it can tolerate drier sites. To withstand saturated soil conditions, bald cypresses have knobby pneumatophores or “knees” that protrude above the waterline. These extend from submerged horizontal roots below. Pneumatophores are important for gaseous exchange and transporting oxygen to roots that do not have access to the atmosphere.


Bald cypress, though it exists in a narrow range, is climate resilient. Part of this is due to its ability to withstand various conditions. It is susceptible to disturbances like invasive plant competition, insects, and fire, but has a good capacity to recover. It regenerates after fire fairly. It has strong dispersal methods but is most successful through vegetative reproduction. It is highly flood tolerant and is a valuable forest species in bottomland areas and coastal regions.


This species is well known in the southern states. While the bald cypress is not native to Pennsylvania, it can be grown here. It is, however, native to New Jersey and Delaware. In the next 100 years, under both more moderate and extreme climate change pathways, bald cypress will have habitat available for colonization within our state. Habitat for bald cypress will especially increase along coastal areas and riverbanks.


As we look to the future of our forests, we must reconcile that some endemic species may not survive in a warmer climate. Therefore, it's important for us to consider growing and planting unconventional species to fill ecological and cultural niches left empty by species that may die out. 


This infographic series was inspired in part by a presentation given by Jehane Samaha at the 2024 Canopy Conference at Haverford College, where she explored tree species that we may see more of in Pennsylvania as the climate warms. White oak is just one example. For the two range maps, we utilized data from the Community Climate System Model, version 4.0 offered through the USDA Forest Service.

 




 

Resources:


Bald Cypress (taxodium distichum). Climate Change Atlas - Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service. (n.d.-a). https://www.fs.usda.gov/nrs/atlas/tree/221



Taxodium distichum. Taxodium distichum (Baldcypress, Bald Cypress, Cypress, Swamp Cypress) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. (n.d.). https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/taxodium-distichum/

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