TREES

"I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues." — Dr. Seuss

Frank Dietz, Comal County resident, CCCA Board Member, & Herald Zeitung monthly columnist

Our Hill Country Trees, Such Treasures

February 20, 2021

In surveying my own life journey through the decades, it is clear that a very early fascination with and appreciation for trees developed. 

My earliest connection remains a cluster of Gulf coastal oaks. They provided playscapes and meditation that nurtured my spirit and imagination. Perhaps you have a similar special place you go to in your personal memory bank. As our childhood habitat expanded it grew to include two historic public parks in uptown New Orleans where play and inquisitive discovery were nearly endless. 

Later in life as visitors, our children and grandchildren have had their turns at developing adventurous explorations and memories among moss draped live oaks. 

The valuing of trees that was rooted in my early life experiences has prompted attention at every turn to the gifts of trees in our contexts for living and exploring. One dramatic moment comes to mind when our older son came home from his nearby high school on lunch break. A creek bed that wound around our home was being deepened and widened for drainage purposes in an overdeveloped area. A huge handsome sycamore was marked for removal. Lunch break was over and I approached inquiring about whether our son had lost track of time. 

Alas, I found tears! His fist came down on the table as he declared he wasn’t returning to school but “going out there to climb that tree so they can’t destroy it and cut it into pieces!” 

​Oh, my! Before he could be calmed it took some reasoning and work with my own feelings about engineering and political plans with little or no regard to grand trees and their value. 

Fast forward to note a personal support of our late life domicile in an oak motte in Comal County. 

Yes, it presents some constant challenges and demands but mostly provides shade, pleasure and a fascinating habitat for the winged and wild neighbors we know currently in greater intimacy with 2020-2021 quarantine life. It is my great personal physical, emotional and spiritual good fortune to twice or more each day go on our lane through two wooded strips between our “haus” and the county road where mail, papers, packages and more are delivered. ​

When I need a break a bench, hammock or convenient low branch offers a place to reflect and restore. Along the ranch’s creeks is an array of life in abundance. Heritage oaks send the imagination into soaring zones of reflection and quieting. What a gift of our Hill Country life! 

We can drive in any direction here in Comal and neighboring counties to see the implications of being a top growth community in the USA. 

Even more telling is any drive on our interstate corridors (I-35 and I-10) or other major thoroughfares where so many acres are being opened for development. Too frequently one notes that Hill Country trees to be removed to expand access and improve mobility with little or no thought for mitigation. Indeed, just like our son had to understand that flood control measures when well planned serve an important purpose, so, too, pathways for transit can be important. One just hopes the planning is “smart” and cognizant that grand Hill Country trees do not grow in a few days but require decades. 

As so much acreage is repurposed for home sites and supporting services in the Hill Country, we have to plead for diligent responsible planning. Some of that begs for setting aside parcels of value to future generations. A growing number of neighbors and colleagues share commitment and passion about Comal’s land, water and wildlife. They make for wonderful new friends and collaborators. Join the conversation about our Comal County Hill Country stewardship as we go forward at ComalConservation.org. It’s a worthy conversation with much discovery ahead! 

Hug a Tree. It's Good for You.

Oak Trees Still Recovering from Winter Storm
Experts warn homeowners, landowners not to be hasty in removing trees

By Stephen O'Shea
May 6, 2021

Driving across Texas has been an interesting occupation for foresters and arborists these past few weeks. Many trees appear as healthy and vibrant as they have ever been, but littered in among the growing green are an equal – and seemingly arbitrary – population of barren oak trees.

This bizarre phenomenon has intrigued professionals across the state – especially since oak trees, and particularly live oak trees, are known to be an incredibly resilient species. Now, months after Winter Storm Uri swept across Texas in mid-February, many of the oaks still aren’t leafing out. Standing in contrast to their vibrant and vivacious brethren, they look dead.
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Courtney Blevins has spent almost 40 years with Texas A&M Forest Service, and he can’t recall any past freeze leaving so many oaks looking bare this late into the spring.

“I’ve been telling people my whole career that the single toughest species we have up here is live oak,” said Blevins, a forester out of Fort Worth. “And yet, it’s the live oaks that seem to be most stressed from this freeze. I’m shocked by that.”

Blevins isn’t the only one. Neil Sperry, a Texas gardening and horticulture expert known across the state, has been stunned by the variability, and the scope, of damage left in the wake of that freeze. Followers of his Facebook page have submitted over 2,000 photos of struggling oak trees, including all varieties of species and from every single region of the state.

“I have been in this business professionally since 1970, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Sperry said. “We think of oaks as permanent as concrete and steel, and for them to selectively be affected by this freeze is particularly odd.”

WHAT EXPERTS ARE SAYING
Blevins and Sperry have spent the past few months responding to residents and landowners who are concerned about the health and condition of their trees. But as the weeks ticked past—and oak trees across the state still didn’t leaf out—Sperry decided to pull together a blue-ribbon panel of certified arborists, foresters, horticulturists, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialists, nursery leaders and garden communicators to send out a unified message. Their advice to landowners who are wondering what they should do, and whether they should cut down their valuable trees, is a simple one: just wait.

“If your tree is dead, there’s no rush to take it down,” said Blevins. “That’s one big mistake people are making. They’re in a big hurry to take that thing down, thinking it’s dangerous to leave a dead tree standing, and it’s not.”
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Trees can stand firm for years after they have died. And while nobody wants a dead tree in their yard for long, landowners who are eager to replace their dead or dormant trees should note that spring isn’t the best time of year to plant trees in Texas, anyway. Instead, Texans should plant trees in the fall or early winter, when the roots are able to grow and further establish the tree.

But Blevins and Sperry are more concerned about landowners cutting down trees that could have recovered if just given the time.

“I think most of the oaks are going to come through okay,” Blevins said. “If your tree is leafing out really late, it’s obviously stressed. But most trees die from a combination of stressors, not just one thing.”

WHAT HAPPENED
With a prolonged, deep freeze like the one brought on by Uri, experts expected some kind of response from trees – primarily fine-twig and branch dieback. The outermost branches and stems of even the most established trees lack insulation and are at risk of freezing in very low temperatures. This is a partial explanation as to why some trees have growth closer to their trunk and innermost branches, while the edges of their canopies remain bare. But it doesn’t explain why so many trees are leafing out late, or not at all.

One popular theory suggests that the trees that are struggling right now were likely stressed or struggling before the winter storm, especially given past conditions.

“It’s been a tough decade for trees,” said Gretchen Riley, the Urban and Community Forestry Program leader at Texas A&M Forest Service. “In 2011 we had unprecedented drought across the state, and we lost 500 million trees. Those that we didn’t lose experienced pretty heavy stress. And in the past decade, we’ve seen a lot of tree mortality that really had its roots in that drought.”

Riley attributes the potential mortality of mature oak trees to that drought and other preexisting conditions, but she attributes the overall delay in leafing out to a natural, physiological process that was interrupted by
​the freeze.  

Every February in Texas, trees begin the process of pulling nutrients from their roots up into their branches and the finer twigs. This combination of sugar, starches and water is then used to produce buds, which – over the course of a few weeks – become leaves and supply the tree with food that can again be stored in the roots for the following winter. However, because there is a liquid component to this energy, it is susceptible to freeze damage – and once frozen, it cannot be repurposed.

It’s also worth noting that the week before the freeze, temperatures reached as high as 80 degrees across the state. Warm temperatures like that often cue trees to begin the process of budding out, and in Texas late-February is as common a time as any for trees to start leafing out.

Oak trees remain stressed after Winter Storm Uri. Homeowners are advised to be patient through their recovery. ​(Texas A&M Forest Service photo)

“That super freeze froze back a lot of those buds that were about to open up,” said Blevins. “Now, the trees that were preparing to bud out have to generate a whole new set of buds to leaf out, and that takes time.”

This theory would best explain the variability of the impact that Texans are seeing on their trees, since there doesn’t appear to be much of a correlation between which species of oak have been hit the hardest, or why urban trees are experiencing equal delays in leafing out.

It would also help explain why some of the trees that were late to begin leafing out are still struggling. With the last of their energy reserves being put toward reproducing buds and leafing out, they have little energy left to put toward defense. In Central Texas, in particular, Texas A&M Forest Service biologists are seeing a significant population of caterpillars. With the trees being more susceptible to disease pathogens and insects, many are losing their leaves to insects as they’re actively trying to leaf out.

What you should doWhile this helps explain what is happening, most residents are more interested in how they can help their trees. Unfortunately, experts are saying there isn’t much you can do, and there is very little that you should do.

​“They’ve been stressed, and they don’t need any more stress,” Blevins said. “So, I’m telling people, when we get into the heat of the summer—especially if we have abnormal heat, like we’re supposed to this year—one thing you might want to do is maybe give them supplemental watering once or twice.”

Other than the occasional watering--and you don’t want to overwater your trees lest the roots be flooded with water and lack the oxygen they need to breathe—Blevins recommends patience. Even fertilization should be avoided unless the tree is experiencing a specific nutrient deficiency. Fertilization leads to growth spurts, and when a tree is putting its energy into growth, any energy that could be applied to its defense goes down.

Insecticide and fungicide are tempting treatments as well since stressed trees are more susceptible to disease and insect infestation. But again, Blevins and Riley counsel patience. There’s no need for “preventive” treatments, and insect infestations and diseases should be treated on a case-by-case basis.

This information can be difficult for landowners and tree-lovers to absorb, since it is their tendency as stewards to want to do something. However, when it comes to our trees, especially our mature trees, often times the more we do, the more harm we cause.

“The best thing to do with mature trees is nothing,” Riley said. “Trees are very sensitive to change. And many of these mature trees may be a hundred years old. They’ve done really well without us. They’ve done their best to adapt to living around us, and most things that we would go in and do to them now are more stressful to them than helpful.”

Moving forwardWith the list of stressors piling up this year, it’s likely that many of the trees that were late to leaf out will continue to appear splotchy, sickly or partially bare. In Riley’s experience, that is not unusual in itself, and many trees should be okay if they’re given the opportunity to leaf out normally next spring.

That being said, the trees that continue to appear bare may not come back.

“If by mid-July they have zero leaves on them, that tree’s dead,” Riley said. “If they have a small, poor showing of leaves, you might wait until next year to make that call. It could improve.”

In any case, the consensus among professionals at Texas A&M Forest Service and across the state is simple and direct. Be patient.

“Just wait,” said Sperry. “These trees are coming back at their own pace. Some of them will be lost. But the important word continues to be ‘wait.’ Don’t start cutting those trees.”

If you’re concerned that the trees on your property are suffering from more than just stress, contact a certified arborist. You can find professionals in your area through:

Texas A&M Forest Service’s My Land Management Connector 
or at https://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist.
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Texas A&M Forest Service will continue to monitor and study the impact of winter storm Uri on our state’s trees.

​San Antonio Now Must Report Tree Variances

 Brian Chasnoff, Staff writer
January 30, 2021 ​​

For at least two years, the San Antonio city development office has routinely given developers every variance they wanted to skirt the tree preservation ordinance, letting them remove thousands of trees without the knowledge of the city’s elected leaders.

Now that’s going to change.

Reacting to an investigative report in the San Antonio Express-News, City Manager Erik Walsh has directed staff to be more transparent about any variances to the ordinance given to developers.

In an email to Walsh and the City Council on Tuesday, Mike Shannon, director of the city’s Development Services Department, promised to track and share all variances to tree preservation rules that are requested and approved, as well as any fines assessed or waived by the city, and any requests for exceptions to the ordinance made by elected officials.

“I believe this strengthened reporting and documentation will allow us to review our process related to these variances and allow us to make any necessary changes or adjustments if we identify issues in terms of appropriate application and consistency,” Shannon wrote.

​​The city decided to change the policy after the newspaper found that developers asked for 206 variances to the tree ordinance in the last two years and that all were granted.

The report also revealed how state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, persuaded Shannon to waive a $2,000 fee he was assessed for cutting down a large heritage oak tree without a permit. Shannon now must send Walsh a monthly summary of any variances and fines. And if an elected official requests an exception to  the tree ordinance, Shannon must alert the city manager “immediately,” Walsh said. 

Under provisions of the San Antonio tree ordinance, the PulteGroup and HDC Davis Ranch LLC were allowed to remove hundreds of trees in the Davis Ranch subdivision next to Government Canyon State Natural Area. William Luther /Staff

“I think it improves awareness,” Walsh said. “And if we start to see trends or issues that have to be addressed, then there’s a heightened awareness about it. But that aside, the tree ordinance is hugely important and has been the source of a lot of debate in this city for a long time. I think that regular report that we can make available and that I can view is important from a management standpoint.”

Walsh said the impact of the 206 variances was minimal, noting they represented a “very small portion” of the total tree permits — about 10,600 — issued by Development Services in the last two years.

“It’s a very small portion of the total number of permits that are issued, and so I’m not concerned with that,” Walsh said. “I think everybody’s intention is to live within the tree ordinance and the regulations, and I think the development community does that and I think we administer it that way.”

'Everything was there and then it wasn't': Developers allowed to skirt tree ordinance

​By Brian Chasnoff, Staff writer
January 22, 2021

In 2019, a city environmental plans examiner emailed then-state Rep. Roland Gutierrez to inform him he had violated San Antonio’s tree preservation ordinance by chopping down a large heritage oak without a permit on a lot he was developing.

“There will be a work without permit penalty of $2,000 assessed to your project,” Robin Loyd wrote to Gutierrez, D-San Antonio.

The fine didn’t stick.

Upset by the penalty, the state lawmaker called Michael Shannon, director of the city’s Development Services Department, to protest. Shannon then instructed staff to waive the fine.

Shannon’s decision caused an immediate rift inside the department. But the bending of tree rules already was business as usual at the city, where developers often ask staff for exceptions to the tree ordinance — and almost always are successful, an investigation by the San Antonio Express-News found.

In the last two years, even as population growth continued to explode in San Antonio — the city ranked second in the nation after adding more than 17,000 people between July 2018 and July 2019 — developers asked for 206 exceptions to the tree ordinance.

All were granted.

City of San Antonio Development Services tree inspector Robert Kwiatkowski examines trees in the Davis Ranch Development near the Government Canyon State Natural Area. Each lot is to have four trees of a certain size.

​In theory, the city’s tree ordinance is designed to protect all heritage trees — large, old-growth trees of 24 inches in diameter or greater — and 35 percent of “significant” trees on a property. Developers who remove more than that must mitigate the loss by paying fees or planting new trees that eventually would provide tree cover of at least 38 percent on the property.

Trees were bulldozed to make way for new housing next to Government Canyon State Natural Area, in the background. Billy Calzada

A 2010 revision to the ordinance reduced the amount of trees that developers can remove and mitigate on a property from 90 to 80 percent. But the city’s development code allows them to request exceptions to this rule.

​In floodplains or environmentally sensitive areas, where the ordinance requires the preservation of 80 percent of all trees, variances must be approved by the city’s Planning Commission. Otherwise, city staff can grant the exceptions.

Shannon, who was appointed director of Development Services in 2017, said all requests are considered on a case-by-case basis. Any exceptions must be justified by “hardships” facing the developer, he said.

“No matter how many codes we write, there’s always going to be circumstances with some hardships where alternatives or variances are warranted,” Shannon said. “The whole goal is even if you don’t meet the black and white letter of the code, you meet the intent of the code. The intent of the code is what we have to protect at all costs.”
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In some cases, staff approved exceptions simply because developers found it difficult to develop a site without removing more trees, the newspaper’s review of city records found.

Heritage Trees

By Rosemarie L. Gregory and Arlene K. Seales
Herald-Zeitung
January 23, 2021

Landa Park, New Braunfels was chosen as the site for the 1998 State of Texas Arbor Day Celebration.  Associate Director of the Texas Forest Service Tom Boggers stated, “It’s important to select a community that is setting the standard for caring about their community through the care and nurturing of their urban forests.”  New Braunfels met those criteria.

The year 1998 marked the community’s 10th year as a Tree City USA, a distinction awarded by the National Arbor Day Foundation and the Texas Forest Service to recognize cities who made environmental improvements and encouraged tree care.  New Braunfels also received the Texas Urban Forestry Council’s Award.  The community was noted for the fine examples of cooperation demonstrated between the City and the Garden Clubs with special emphasis on the trees, their planting, and the necessity of good care.

Dignitaries came to Landa Park to join with local residents in the observance of Texas 109th Arbor Day to celebrate the magnificence and utility of trees.  There was much time spent in preparing for this grand occasion that New Braunfels was co-sponsoring with the Texas Forest Service, Texas Forestry Association, and the Texas Association of Nurserymen, Inc.  A planning meeting was held on February 10 at the New Braunfels Municipal Building on Castell Street, with Tom Boggers who came from College Station.  Others attending were City Manager Mike Shands; Parks Director Iris Neffendorf; County Extension Agent Marty Gibbs; New Braunfels High School Principal John Thurman; District VII Director Barbara Perry; San Antonio Urban Forester Mark Peterson; Men’s Garden Club of New Braunfels President Kenneth Triesch; Comal Garden Club President Laura Behrendt; Four Seasons Garden Club President Ginger Abbott; New Braunfels Garden Club member Marie Offerman; Guada Coma Garden Club representative Dolores Schumann; Four Seasons Garden Club members Sue McFeeley and Nancy Schultz; and Ferdinand Lindheimer Chapter President, Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Delitha Guenzel.

By mid-March, Parks Director Iris Neffendorf had all the invitations to the event mailed.  In addition, she had the Park Rangers from her department make presentations on the importance of trees and Arbor Day to over 500 students in the Comal and New Braunfels Independent School Districts.  The Parks Department also promoted poster and poetry contests with the winners to be honored at the Arbor Day Celebration in Landa Park. Theme of each contest was, “The Benefits Trees Provide.”

Comal Garden Club sponsored the Oak Run sixth-grade poster contest with the winning posters: First place: Tiago Hillermann, Second place: Kelley Shelton.  Poetry contest winners were Brittany Stanford and Aaron Coronado.
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The Carl Schurz School contest was sponsored by the Men’s Garden Club of New Braunfels.  The First place winner was Ashley Romo, the Second place winner was Karen Zentiek, Third place winner was Amanda Saenz, and the Fourth place winner was Patrick Mills.

​On Friday, April 24, 1998, crowds of people, local residents and statewide dignitaries, arrived at Landa Park to celebrate the beauty and resources of trees during the observance of Texas’ 109th Arbor Day.  “We’re here to honor people and the relationship people have with trees…and the quality of life that comes about because of this relationship,” said Jim Hull, director of the Texas Forest Service who served as master of ceremonies.

The beautiful Founder's Oak in Landa Park is over ​150 years old.

Mayor Pro-Tem of New Braunfels Ray Schoch welcomed all to Landa Park in New Braunfels to celebrate the 109th Texas Arbor Day.  The Invocation was given by Dr. Kenneth Peters of New Braunfels Presbyterian Church.  The Presentation of Colors and Pledge of Allegiance were provided by the New Braunfels High School Marine Corps Jr. ROTC Color Guard.  Mayor Pro-Tem Schoch then presented the Arbor Day Proclamation by the City of New Braunfels.  James P. Hull read the Governor’s Proclamation.

The ceremonies included musical presentations by the New Braunfels High School Choir under the direction of Judy Bagley, the Comal County 4H, and “Trees for America” sung by City Council member Cathy Talcott.  Seele fifth grade students recited “Trees of the Fragrant Forest.”

During his address, featured speaker State Senator Jeff Wentworth, urged everyone to plant new trees for future generations, “Trees are a source of joy for spiritual renewal,” he stated.  Trees serve many purposes in the ecosystem as windbreak enhancement, reducers of soil erosion, and suppliers of oxygen.  In addition, trees increase property values, beautify the community, and promote the well-being of all citizens, today and tomorrow.

As part of the ceremony, New Braunfels Garden Club donated a Texas Red Oak tree that was planted in recognition of the 109th Arbor Day Celebration in Texas and the 65th Anniversary of the New Braunfels Garden Club.  Other trees planted were donated by MeSuJo Services, Ferdinand Lindheimer Chapter, Daughters of the Republic of Texas; Christine Brown in memory of Dr. Dorris Brown; and Four Seasons, Comal, and Guada Coma Garden Clubs.

Landa Park served as an ideal setting for the State Arbor Day celebration with over 70 species of trees including the 300-year-old Founders’ Oak in its Arboretum.  In addition to the Arboretum there were the enormous ancient Cypress along the Mill Race.  In the 1850’s these water-loving Cypress were the signal to William Hunter Meriwether that a former channel of the Comal River flowed there enabling Meriwether to support his mills.

​This column is based on the book New Braunfels’ Historic Landa Park, Its Springs and Its People by Rosemarie Leissner Gregory and Arlene Krueger Seales.  For more info visit our website and Facebook. You may call Jo Heideman @ 830-625-3186 to obtain a book.

The William and Dolores Schumann Arboretum Guide is available online at www.nbtexas.ort/documentcenter. New Braunfels Parks and Recreation Department Courtesy Image

History Rich in Trees

By Jane W. Miller
Herald-Zeitung
​February 6, 2021

The William and Dolores Schumann Arboretum Guide, which is offered in the Parks Office and online (www.nbtexas.org/DocumentCenter), describes some of the over 80 species of trees in Landa Park. There is an allure of history and charm documented in those pages.

Entry No. 1 is the Ginkgo (Ginkgo bilboa). The Ginkgo can be found outside the Parks Office on Golf Course Drive. It’s on the left side of the sidewalk entrance.

Ginkgo, you ask; is that a native tree? The answer is no. Ginkgo is native to China, where it has been used in Chinese herbals for a long, long time. Also called the Maidenhair tree, Ginkgo is the only living species in the botanical division Ginkgophyta. All others are extinct. Gingko tree fossils which date over 200 million years have been found. In North America, the Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park along the Columbia River and southeast of Yakima, Washington, was founded in the 1930s because petrified wood was discovered near the Columbia River. Over 50 species of petrified wood, including Ginkgo, were found. Today, the conservation status of Ginkgo bilboa is “threatened” yet we in New Braunfels have a living example right outside the Parks Office. Notice it and show your children.

The history of Founders’ Oak is more widely known. This beloved Texas live oak (Quercus fusiformis), entry No. 11 in the Arboretum Guide, joined a select group in 2012 when the Texas Forest Service declared Founders’ Oak a “Famous Tree of Texas”.  Our famous oak became the 87th member of what former San Antonio Express-News writer Zeke MacCormack described as “an elite arboreal club.” In documents submitted by the city’s then urban forester, Kelly Eby, we learn that Founders’ Oak, which is over 300 years old, was witness to:
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• Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels coming to the area in 1845 and signing a deed for two leagues of land, including the Comal Springs and Founders’ Oak. 
• Founders’ Oak has been there for 4th of July celebrations, church services, weddings and so many other events since the town’s founding in 1845. After 1846, residents of New Braunfels gathered annually on July 4th for many years to read the Declaration of Independence and to dedicate themselves to the principles for which it stands. 
• Abbe Domenech reportedly offered mass under the grand oak in 1849.

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​Another quite amazing tree in Landa Park is Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum). Bald Cypress, entry No. 31, is a tree usually found near rivers. Wood from Bald Cypress was used for roof shingles by early New Braunfels settlers. Hermann Seele encountered the Smith Brothers of Seguin hewing cypress shingles for Prince Carl as Seele first crossed the Guadalupe River 

Not all kinds of wood split into shingles in the same way. Some species split better with the growth rings (concentrically), some better across the growth rings (diametrically). Oak species in particular belong to the latter, coniferous species to the former, but above all of them is the bald cypress. Bald cypress cannot be split across the growth rings even in longer pieces of the slimmest stem, which is why it cannot be used for fencing.”

into New Braunfels. Oscar Haas’s History states that Hermann Seele crossed into New Braunfels through what is now Cypress Bend Park.

​Ferdinand Lindheimer documented cypress trees with a diameter of 3 to 7 feet along Central Texas rivers. Lindheimer further reported:​ Look for this giant, Bald Cypress, near the Children’s Wading Pool.

Possum-haw (Ilex decidua) is entry #3. This gem, found opposite the Parks Office, is a favorite of birds. The reddish-colored berries attract songbirds and small-mammals. Nectar-insects favor this understory tree, too. It is a favored nesting site as well and its winter color can be spectacular.

Anaqua (Ehretia anacua) is a strikingly beautiful tree when in bloom. The Arboretum Guide’s entry No. 15, Anaqua grows primarily in South Texas and Mexico because of its cold intolerance. Landa Park’s specimen grows near Landa Lake. German settlers gave the tree the name vogelbeerenbaum due to its popularity with birds. Bees, too, love these blossoms. The light brown wood of Anaqua is hard and heavy. These characteristics make the wood a prized choice for posts, tool handles, and similar uses. Be sure to feel the Anaqua’s leaves. You will know immediately why it is referred to as “sandpaper” tree.

Pecan (Carya illinoensis), entry #18, became the State Tree of Texas in 1919, following the request by Gov. James Stephen Hogg that a pecan tree mark his grave. Pecan is the only true nut that is native to the U.S.A., part of a multi-million-dollar industry in our state.  Some species of pecan trees can live to 300 years. The Landa Park pecans are located near Gazebo Circle. Another pecan, planted as a Memorial Tree for Marie Offerman, grows along the Mill Race. Mrs. Offerman served as Chaplain of Friends for the Preservation of Historic Landa Park from its inception until her death in 2018.

These six tree species are but a small example of those awaiting your next visit to Landa Park. Use the map included in the Arboretum Guide. Think about their place, indeed their importance, in the environment. Be grateful — grateful for folks like Bill and Dolores Schumann because they and friends cared enough to help protect and then record the importance of these botanical witnesses.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

• Haas, Oscar. History of New Braunfels and Comal County, Texas, Burke Publishing Co., San Antonio, Tx. 1996
• MacCormack, Zeke. New Braunfels Celebrates Founders’ Oak, August 2, 2012. www.mysanantonio.com
• Williams, John E. The Writings of Ferdinand Lindheimer: Texas Botanist, Texas Philosopher, Texas A&M University Press, College Station. 2020

Texas Big Tree Registry

The Texas Big Tree Registry recognizes the largest known tree of each species growing in the state.  In some cases, these trees could be the largest in the country! Big trees also have big values.  Compared to younger, smaller trees, big trees provide greater ecosystem services such as carbon storage, water and air filtration. Champion trees can be located on public or private property.  We work with tree owners to preserve these trees for future generations to enjoy. 

Tree​​s Need People. People Need Trees. Twenty-two Benefits of Trees​

TREES COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE
​Excess carbon dioxide (CO2) is building up in our atmosphere, contributing to climate change. Trees absorb CO2, removing and storing the carbon while releasing oxygen back into the air. In one year, an acre of mature trees absorbs the same amount of CO2 produced when you drive your car 26,000 miles.

TREES CLEAN THE AIR
Trees absorb odors and pollutant gases (nitrogen oxides, ammonia, sulfur dioxide and ozone) and filter particulates out of the air by trapping them on their leaves and bark.

TREES PROVIDE OXYGEN
​In one year an acre of mature trees can provide enough oxygen for 18 people.
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​TREES COOL THE STREETS AND THE CITY​​
Average temperatures in Los Angeles have risen 6°F in the last 50 years as tree coverage has declined and the number of heat-absorbing roads and buildings has increased. Trees cool the city by up to 10°F, by shading our homes and streets, breaking up urban “heat islands” and releasing water vapor into the air through their leaves.

Central Texas Native Trees

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How to Plant a Tree the Right Way — 7 Steps for Getting it Right Every Time

By Joe Lamp'l
April 18, 2017

How to plant a tree the right way can return years of happy returnsWith a little luck and good timing, sometimes simply sticking a tree in the ground and walking away can be enough for it to survive. But knowing how to plant a tree the right way, will ensure success every time. In my book, there are 7 steps for planting success which I share below. Suffice it to say, I’ve learned these all-important steps mostly by trial and error. It’s always the best way to learn, especially when it comes to gardening.

Trees have been described as the lungs of the earth for good reason. Without them, there would be no life on this planet. That’s reason enough to plant as many as we can. But when you learn just how important they are for so many reasons, you begin to understand my passion for trees and why we need more.

That’s led to a lifelong crusade to encourage people to plant more trees. Or even one. So it only stands to reason how thrilled I was to team up with Lands’ End recently to encourage everyone to #PlantATree in celebration of Earth Day this year. 
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So whether this is your first tree planting, or you’ve planted a forest by now, we’re always learning. Knowing how to plant a tree the right way — especially now, considering such unprecedented climate conditions — will ensure your efforts will not be in vain.

To give you the whole story, check out this video we created to walk you through how to plant a tree the right way, along with the 7-steps for getting it right every time.

Introduction to Oak Wilt (Texas A & M)

Oak wilt, one of the most destructive tree diseases in the United States, is killing oak trees in central Texas at epidemic proportions. Oak wilt is an infectious disease caused by the fungus Bretziella fagacearum, which invades and disables the water-conducting system (xylem) in oaks. All oaks can be infected by the fungus that causes oak wilt; however, some oak species are affected more than others. The successful management of oak wilt depends on correct diagnosis and an understanding of how the pathogen and different oak species interact.

Red Oaks
Members of the red oak group, particularly Texas red oak (aka Spanish oak), Shumard oak, blackjack oak, and water oak are the most susceptible of the fungus and may play a unique role in the establishment of new oak wilt infections.

Red oaks never survive oak wilt and often die within 4 to 6 weeks following the initial appearance of symptoms.  During summer months, diseased red oaks can often be spotted from a distance because of their bright, autumn-like coloration in contrast to the surrounding greenery. This symptom is called flagging.

White Oaks
Members of the white oak group include post oak, bur oak, Mexican white oak, white shin oak, Durand oak, Lacey oak, and chinquapin oak. Although white oaks show some tolerance of the disease, all oaks can be infected by the fungus. White shin oak, Lacey oak, and chinquapin oak can grow in stands with interconnected root systems, enabling the fungus to possibly infect adjacent trees are susceptible to the fungus.

​Many infected white oaks will exhibit some canopy loss and generally the disease will not spread to adjacent trees.  Lacey oaks, white shin oaks, and chinquapin oaks sometimes form root connections similar to live oaks, offering a pathway for the disease to spread to adjacent trees, causing higher infection and mortality rates than in other white oak species.

Live Oaks
Live oak and Texas live oak are intermediate in their susceptibility to oak wilt, but are most seriously affected due to their tendency to grow with vast, interconnected root systems that allow movement of the fungus among adjacent trees.

Most live oaks defoliate and die within 3 to 6 months following initial appearance of symptoms.  Some live oaks take longer to die, and a few untreated trees may survive many years in various stages of decline.  Occasionally, a few live oaks in an oak wilt center may escape infection and remain unaffected by the disease.

​Oak Wilt Quick Guide

​Early detection and prompt action are essential for successful management of oak wilt.  The specific measures taken depend on several circumstances but should include appropriate combinations of the following:
 
Prevent New Infections

• Remove and dispose of oak wilt-infected red oaks immediately.
• Avoid wounding oak trees, including pruning, from February through June.
• Sterilize/sanitize all pruning equipment between trees.
• Paint all wounds and fresh stumps immediately regardless of season.
• Handle oak firewood cautiously, burn all firewood before spring, and never store unseasoned oak wood from infected trees near healthy oaks.
• Cover unseasoned firewood (from infection centers and unknown origins) with clear plastic and bury the edges of the plastic.

​Diversify Your Landscape

• Plant trees that are native and/or adapted to your area.
• Favor a diversity of tree species.
• Avoid wounding oaks during planting.
• Find the right tree for your property here.

Stop Spread through Root Connections

• Install a trench at least 4 ft deep and 100 ft beyond the perimeter of infection centers (last symptomatic tree) to break up root connections.
• Cut or uproot all trees within the 100-ft barrier (except those injected with fungicide).
• Find trenching vendors here.

Inject High-Value Oaks with Fungicide

• Identify susceptible, high-value oak trees in proximity to expanding oak wilt infection centers.
• Consult a trained and licensed arborist (with certified applicator’s license) for treatment of susceptible trees with injections of propiconazole.

Central Texas Oak Wilt — Forestry Fact Sheet - TX 1

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What is oak wilt? Oak wilt is an aggressive fungal pathogen (Ceratocystis fagacearum) that affects many species of oak, killing thousands of trees each year in woodlots and home landscapes.

Where is it in Texas? The Hill Country and Central Texas areas have been particularly hard hit by this disease. This map shows the extent of its damage in 2007 with yellow counties having a few incidences and the brown counties recording over 400 mortality areas. Oak wilt has been called one of the most destructive tree diseases in the United States and is at epidemic proportions in the Central Texas Hill Country.

Moisture produced by the world's forests generates rainfall thousands of miles away. Photo by Richard Whitcombe_Shutterstock

Rivers in the Sky: How Deforestation Is Affecting Global Water Cycles

A growing body of evidence indicates that the continuing destruction of tropical forests is disrupting the movement of water in the atmosphere, causing major shifts in precipitation that could lead to drought in key agricultural areas in China, India, 
and the U.S. Midwest

By Fred Pearce
​July 24, 2018

Every tree in the forest is a fountain, sucking water out of the ground through its roots and releasing water vapor into the atmosphere through pores in its foliage. In their billions, they create giant rivers of water in the air – rivers that form clouds and create rainfall hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

But as we shave the planet of trees, we risk drying up these aerial rivers and the lands that depend on them for rain. A growing body of research suggests 

that this hitherto neglected impact of deforestation could in many continental ​interiors dwarf the impacts of global climate change. It could dry up the Nile, hobble the Asian monsoon, and desiccate fields from Argentina to the Midwestern United States.

Until recently, the nuggets of data delivering such warnings were fragmented and often relegated to minor scientific journals. But the growing concerns came to the fore in reports presented at two forest forums held by the United Nations and the Norwegian government in recent weeks.

​Why Trees Are Important to the Environment?

Trees help clean the air we breathe, filter the water we drink, and provide habitat to over 80% of the world's terrestrial biodiversity. Forests provide jobs to over 1.6 billion people, absorb harmful carbon from the atmosphere, and are key ingredients in 25% of all medicines. Have you ever taken an Aspirin? It comes from the bark of a tree!

Here are the six pillars that explain why trees are vital:

AIR
Trees help to clean the air we breathe. Through their leaves and bark, they absorb harmful pollutants and release clean oxygen for us to breathe. In urban environments, trees absorb pollutant gases like nitrogen oxides, ozone, and carbon monoxide, and sweep up particles like dust and smoke. Increasing levels of carbon dioxide caused by deforestation and fossil fuel combustion trap heat in the atmosphere. Healthy, strong trees act as carbon sinks, offset carbon and reducing the effects of climate change. 

WATER
​Trees play a key role in capturing rainwater and reducing the risk of natural disasters like floods and landslides. Their intricate root systems act like filters, removing pollutants and slowing down the water’s absorption into the soil. This process prevents harmful waterslide erosion and reduces the risk of over-saturation and flooding. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Association, a mature evergreen tree can intercept more than 15,000 litres of water every year.

BIODIVERSITY
A single tree can be home to hundreds of species of insect, fungi, moss, mammals, and plants. Depending on the kind of food and shelter they need, different forest animals require different types of habitat. Without trees, forest creatures would have nowhere to call home.

• Young, Open Forests: These forests occur as a result of fires or logging. Shrubs, grasses, and young trees attract animals like black bears, the American goldfinch, and bluebirds in North America.
• Middle-Aged Forests: In middle-aged forests, taller trees begin to outgrow weaker trees and vegetation. An open canopy allows for the growth of ground vegetation preferred by animals like salamanders, elk, and tree frogs.
• Older Forests: With large trees, a complex canopy, and a highly developed understory of vegetation, old forests provide habitat for an array of animals, including bats, squirrels, and many birds.