Government Programs for Cypress Trees

• Cypress trees grow in dry or wetlands, like these in the Florida Everglades. Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images

  One of the most recognized trees in the dense, swampy Florida Everglades is the cypress tree, which is on the U.S. government's federal endangered list. The cypress tree is caught in a struggling ecosystem. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the Everglades -- in which the most cypress varieties live -- is suffering mainly because plant and animal species now are sharing waterways with urban areas.

Restoring America's Everglades

• Although government agencies have improved cypress swamps in the Everglades through hydrology, water quality, and ecology of the region by drainage and development, the cypress tree species still suffers. These trees require regular nutrient-rich water. When the water supply changes, the trees are in jeopardy. The Journey To Restore America's Everglades plan, which is combined state and federal effort, is one of the world's largest ecosystem restoration efforts and includes more than 60 major components. The plan's goal is to restore south Florida's wetland areas, including cypress swamp forests. As of 2010, the project is estimated to take at least 20 more years to complete.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• The Environmental Protection Agency works to restore America's forests, parks, wetlands and other natural environments. One of its objectives is to restore Florida's vanishing shoreline, which includes protecting wetland cypress trees. It monitors and assesses the area and helps fund and protect Everglades National Park, for example, which displays some of America's most diverse cypress tree species.

Big Cypress National Park

• The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), is a governmental agency that protects south Florida's natural water resources. One of the agency's major objectives, as of 2010, is protecting the Big Cypress National Park from further damage. The National Park Service, which manages Big Cypress National Park, has opened hiking trails and off-roading excursions to tourists. The SFWMD objects to the trails, stating that the human activity may damage cypress trees, swamplands and waterways.