Chinese Tallow Trees

Chinese Tallow Trees

According to a foundation repair company, 

"Chinese Tallow have extensive tap root systems that extract large amounts of water from the soil, which can cause major damage and require home foundation repair." 

www.dawsonfoundationrepair.com/tree-roots-and-root-barricades/#top

Information on the Chinese Tallow tree provided by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=TRSE6

According to the USDA, the Chinese Tallow tree is listed in Texas as a "noxious plant"

http://plants.usda.gov/java/noxious?rptType=State&statefips=48

Texas Invasives .org

www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=TRSE6

Article from Houston Chronicle, "Do NOT Plant Chinese Tallows (it’s illegal)"

http://blog.chron.com/lazygardener/2011/12/dont-plant-chinese-tallows/

From Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triadica_sebifera

"Unfortunately, tallow trees are not native and are highly damaging species. According to the US Forest Service: Tallow trees begin producing viable seed after only 3 years. They can spread by root fragments and cuttings, so are quick to invade after a hurricane. Just one tallow tree can produce 100,000 seeds every year. Nearly all of these seeds are viable and can germinate even after several years. A mature stand can produce 4,500 kg of seeds per hectare per year. Trees remain productive for 100 years. Even one tallow tree presents a danger of explosive expansion that can hurt local ecosystems. Tallow trees should be removed from yards and public spaces as well. The trees are extremely hard to kill and freshly cut trees will sprout new leaves. Chemicals aside, the best way is to remove all new sprouts and starve the tree of sunlight."

US Forest Service provides extensive information

www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/triseb/all.html

Trees and Storms

Tree Care Kit, Damage Prevention & Disaster Recovery

AgriLife Extension - Texas A&M System

"Be Tree Wise.  Protect Life and Limbs."

Owner’s Rights and Responsibilities (excerpts):

Adjoining Landowners

"Whether the tree is causing damage or not, if its branches extend beyond your property line, your neighbor has the right to trim your tree to the property line.  Landownership rights extend indefinitely upward and down and those rights are protected from invasion by an adjoining landowner to the same extent as surface rights.  In trimming the tree, your neighbor is not allowed to unduly harm your tree, however."

Tree Owner’s Responsibility

"Tree owners in urban areas have a duty to inspect each and every tree on the premises to determine hazard trees and have them removed."

Trees for Precinct 3 Parks

Per the Community Impact Newspaper :

Radack looks to add more trees to Precinct 3 parks

Precinct 3 Commissioner Steve Radack requested authorization at the March 12 Harris County Commissioner’s Court meeting to accept 8,000 trees from the Apache Corporation Tree Grant Program.  Valued at $60,800, the trees are to be planted in multiple parks within Precinct 3 along trails and roadways.

Apache is a Houston-based oil and gas company that has awarded more than 3 million trees across 16 states.  There are 15 Precinct 3 parks in the Katy area, with Mary Jo Peckham Park as the largest in the City of Katy’s limits at 32 acres with a variety of amenities, including a fishing pond.  Precinct 3 has 54 parks overall.

http://impactnews.com/articles/radack-looks-to-add-more-trees-to-precinct-3-parks/

(photo credit:  Darlene)

Trees for Mason Road Park!

Eagle Scout Troop 1146 planted 50 trees in the Mason Road Park this morning!

Harris County Precinct 3 provided the trees and the troop provided the labor.

And another troop is scheduled to plant another 50 in the park!

Harris County Precinct 3 already had some trees in place but there was room for more!

I'm thankful for the trees!

(photo credit:  Darlene)

The Importance of Trees

http://www.aces.edu/ucf/whytrees.php - "How Urban Trees Help Your Community" - 

Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) - Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities

http://www.arborday.org/trees/benefits.cfm - "The Value of Trees to a Community ... 

statistics on just how important trees are in a community setting

" - Arbor Day Foundation

http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/main/article.aspx?id=1279 - "Urban Forestry" - Texas A&M Forest Service

http://www.TreesAreGood.org/ - Trees are Good, 

International Society of Arboriculture.

http://www.texastrees.org/  - 

The Texas Trees Foundation

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/southerngarden/treestx.html - "Trees for Texas Landscapes" By Dr. William C. Welch, Professor and Landscape Horticulturist

Crape Myrtles by the Pros

Information on crape myrtles by professionals:

"Severe Pruning of Crape Myrtles an Ugly, Foolish Practice" 

By Shane Harris, Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) - Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities

http://www.aces.edu/ucf/crapemyrtles.php

"Stop Crape Murder!"

The University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) 

http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/hot_topics/lawn_and_garden/crape_murder.html

"The Ongoing Saga Of The Annual Crape Myrtle Massacre" by Randy Lemmon

http://www.ktrh.com/pages/gardenline2.html?article=10633038

"Stop the Crape Murder!" by Greg Grant

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/stopthecrape.html

"Crape Myrtles for Central Texas Landscapes" by Skip Richter, Travis County Extension Horticulturist, Texas AgriLife Extension Service

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/travis/lg_o_art_trees5.htm