Live oaks

 Know some arborists read these groups, so, thought would ask questions here.

After all the rain here in central TX, have noticed that most of the live
oaks have really sprouted some spectacular amount of leaves compared to the
last 3 years.  Some, almost to the point of fault.  For instance, most new
branches and leaves emanating almost at one general place on the tree.  Like
a bush growing on the side of the tree is the best I can describe it.

Some look healthy, but aren't doing all the major leaf and branch thing.
Like nothing much happened regarding rainfall.

Others are sprouting mini-trees at their roots, others not.
Is all this in response to the 3 year drought prior?

The cedars (juniper-ashe) look okay, but aren't doing all the proliferation.
They, of course, compete with the live oaks in the hill country.

I see some landowners choose to remove all the cedars on their property.
Leaving just the live and red oaks as the major tree population.  Some live
oaks actually grew sideways close to the ground to get to the sunlight while
competing with the cedars for same.  I can see removing such around
buildings and roads as these are a potential fire hazard.  Is this cedar
genocide healthy for the hill country ecosystem?

Dave

 
Dace

Good question!



Sounds like sprouting which can be stimulated by stress.  Which may be the
accumulation of events over many years with treatments by humans at the top
of the list.  There is a good article on the so called sudden oak death
here.
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/shigo/COP.html

More writtings are here:
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/shigo/index.html


Like human doctors I would have to see the patient.


I am not sure I understand the question.  If you are asking if eradicating a
species is good,  it is not.  In my view of an ecosystem.


Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Arborist
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman
and  www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.

 

<snip>

Endangered Species in the Texas Hill Country
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/landwater/land/habitats/hillcountry/endangered_species/

   "The golden-cheeked warbler depends on stands of mature Ashe juniper
(blueberry cedar) mixed with deciduous trees including Lacey oak, Spanish
oak, shin oak, post oak, cedar elm, and escarpment black cherry.

   Mature Ashe juniper is a major factor resulting in decreased water supply
to the Edwards Aquifer. Two other endangered species depend on an adequate
supply of water. The San Marcos salamander is threatened by reduced spring
flow, and the Texas blind salamander depends on a constant supply of clean
water from the Edwards Aquifer. Research indicates that removal of Ashe
juniper results in a tremendous increase in groundwater. One such study
reported an increase of 100,000 gal/acre/year with 100% cedar removal.

    In the absence of fire (for the past 100+ years), Ashe juniper has
encroached on the upland sites, forming dense woodlands containing only
cedar, bare soil, and rock. In addition to other obvious ecological concerns
(e.g., soil erosion), dense stands of cedar (also known as cedar brakes)
have played a major role in the depletion of the Edwards Aquifer.
Furthermore, cedar brakes do not provide suitable habitat for golden-cheeked
warblers, as the deciduous tree component is absent and overall plant
diversity is nil.

   The expansion of Ashe juniper has had a tremendous impact on the
ecosystem, causing a decrease in plant species diversity and an increase in
soil erosion.

 

Makes a body wonder what the golden-cheeked warbler depended on before
the introduction of the highly invasive Ashe juniper...

 

Spanish

   From other stuff I read, mature Junipers (medium sized are 200-300 years
old...) mixed in with the rest of the trees, were wiped out for their wood
and charcoal making by the settlers. They also normally exist in ravines and
are native.
   Overgrazing led to erosion of the thin grasslands, the other trees died
out, and fire suppression left the young Ashe junipers to colonize almost
exclusively.
   So, they weren't invasive naturally and the warblers were happy, until
the settlers upset the delicate balance.