Not too many years ago tire dumps were considered Haxardous Waste Sites and after the tires were removed the soil was also because that soil had higher than permissible levels of Cadmium, Lead, and other heavy metals. So someone develops a way to finely shred tires and sell it as a mulch and suddenly putting tires on your soil is not a problem, however, playgrounds that did put shredded tires down fairly quickly removed that material when it was found to children were being exposed to higher than normal levels of Cadmium, Lead, etc. and that the urine of soccer and football players playing on artificial turf (made with, or from, recycled tires) had higher than normal levels of carcinogens. Aside from the simple fact that this shredded rubber will not add anything of value to your soil, there may once again come a day when this material is recognized as the Hazardous Material it still is and require removal, at your expense.

I live in FL where there is a saying about houses. "There are those that have termites and those that will have termites." Anyway, termites are active year round here and there are many that fly and get into houses from the attic vents but that is kinda beside the point. Termites like moist dead wood, they will also make tunnels up a foundation to get into the wood structure of a home. Keep the area right around the foundation clear so you can inspect. I have actually seen termites in large chunks of wood mulch. I don't know that it attracts termites but if they are there and it is moist, they will like it. All that said, I use lots of chipped up trees around my house as mulch, I just try to keep it a foot or so away from the foundation. It is good to inspect along the foundation for their tunnels going up looking for a way in. And take care of moisture problems since termites and carpenter ants have far more trouble eating dry wood than they do moist wood. Just so you know which grain of salt to take with my two cents, my house is concrete block with wood roof and wood interior structure. I might not be so willing to use wood chip mulch if my home were log or timber frame.

This is a hoax that is spreading widely in all my gardening clubs... first of all, Louisiana has never been allowed to use wood chips as mulch... second of all, tropical termites wouldn't live in a non tropical environment. Here is Snopes warning on the hoax. Here is a link that might be useful: termite urban legend

Well, well, that's about right for me. I finally found the original article. Here's the url. http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef605.asp And here's the paragraph that specifically deals with mulch. "Use mulch sparingly, especially if you already have termites or other conducive conditions. Many people use landscape mulch for its aesthetic and plant health benefits. Excessive or improper usage, however, can contribute to termite problems. Termites are attracted to mulch primarily because of its moisture-retaining properties, and the insulation it affords against temperature extremes. The mulch itself is of poor nutritional quality to termites and a non-preferred source of food. Since the moisture retaining properties of mulch are more of an attractant than the wood itself, it makes little difference what type of mulch is used (cypress, pine bark, eucalyptus, etc.). Contrary to popular belief, crushed stone or pea gravel are comparable to wood mulch in terms of attraction, since they also retain moisture in the underlying soil. Where mulch is used, it should be applied sparingly (2-3 inches is usually adequate), and should never be allowed to contact wood siding or framing of doors or windows." sorry 'bout the old lady mind slip.