Once this common landscape practice has been illuminated, you will notice it all the time. 

Mulch volcanoes may be a quick and easy way to add mulch to a tree base, but they can actually cause significant harm. 

One Redditor took to the site to complain about the practice and what they witnessed at their local shopping center. 

They shared a photo showing a tree in a sidewalk bed, piled high with mulch. The original poster added, "All the trees had ridiculous amounts of mulch, but this one was the worst, with at least a three-foot mound."

While mulch can be great for your plants, you don't need a toddler-sized pile. In fact, Ohio State University called the practice a "treemergency," explaining, "Volcano mulch does not kill trees outright. … Instead, it produces subtle, long-term, ill effects that are mostly hidden from our view."

The ill effects listed include bark damage, root dehydration, lack of water infiltration, and general tree stress. 

Combined, these seemingly small issues can make your tree more vulnerable to things like disease and pest damage. 

As this tree is not the OP's property, it's unlikely this issue will be amended, but it is valuable to give gentle advice when possible. If your neighbor has a mulch volcano, for example, you may be able to help them learn some better tree care practices. 

Trees are incredibly beneficial to your home and ecosystem. They provide shelter for tons of wildlife and sequester climate-warming gases like carbon. 

One study conducted in Louisville found that trees can improve many facets of human health. The Nature Conservancy noted that, "Study participants had significantly lower levels of a blood marker known as C-reactive protein, which is a strong indicator of inflammation." 

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These incredible results just show how important the natural world is to humans. On a more practical level, more trees can also help keep your local area cooler, potentially saving you money on energy bills each month. 

Redditors unsurprisingly were annoyed by this massive pile of mulch. 

"This can't be real," wrote one person who thought the photo could be doctored. 

Someone else joked, "Eventually some trees will evolve to tolerate volcano mulch, and those will take over the world."

Another commenter added, "I'm surprised it's not spilling over on the street."

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