Why should I choose pinestraw to mulch my beds and natural areas? What makes it more sustainable than shredded or chipped wood mulch?

Pinestraw is composed only of needles that have dropped as a part of the natural yearly cycle of the pine tree. Other types of mulch are created after trees have been cut and processed, taking years to regrow.

The Mulch Yard sells hand-baled pine straw, which is not only cleaner and more tightly packed than machine-baled straw, but the harvesting process lifts the pine needles off of the "understory" of the forest floor, allowing the ground to maintain the nutrients, plant life, insects, pine cones and sticks that will decompose and contribute to the enrichment of the soil. Machine baling scrapes into the soil, stripping it of plant and animal life and debris, thus creating nutrient-poor soil that leaves unhealthy trees susceptible to pests and disease.

Harvesting pine straw by hand creates a much smaller carbon footprint over both traditional wood mulches and machine-baling because no carbon-emitting machinery is used in the growing and harvesting. Even the box balers are made from wood, and operated by hand, leaving very little environmental impact.