In addition, Dr. Shaffer, working with Michael Greene and other former students, initiated a program several years ago to plant small cypress seedlings, hoping to rebuild the cypress forest. Until now their attempts have been only partially successful. Over the first few years, thousands of young trees were planted. Most have survived but many were eaten by nutria. In more recent years, seedlings were planted with protective plastic pipe sleeves and weed mats to fend off tangling vines.
Survival is now nearly a hundred percent.
A young cypress mowed down by voracious nutria I ronically, the rapid spread of urban development in south Louisiana may indirectly save and restore the Manchac Swamp. In laymen's language, Southeastern could receive hundreds of thousands of dollars to replant Manchac with cypress, tupelogum and swamp red maple. The program requires land developers whose projects adversely affect wetland areas to pay for the reforestation of other wetlands. Developers seeking wetland permits must ante up money to restore one to several acres for every one acre they destroy. If, for example, a company develops ten acres and two of those acres are wetlands, the company must pay a pre-determined amount to restore several acres of wetlands.