This was part two of NOLA's feature on wetland forests that came out of our ecosystem services report. Sara was such a cool reporter, and I loved the quotes she chose from our interview.
Wetland forests encompass any forest that is submerged for part of the year. Louisiana has 5.2 million acres of wetland forests, including 260,000 acres in the Atchafalaya Swamp alone, said Sam Davis, the author of the report and the Research Director at Dogwood Alliance.
"We shouldn't have to put a price tag on forests," [they] said. "But when we do it shows just how valuable they are when we invest in their protection."
But less than 10 percent of wetland forests in the South have protected status. If more steps were taken toward the protection and management of wetland forests, the value could increase by $6.5 billion in Louisiana alone, Davis said.