Are you reading this through blurry eyes and in between sneezes? Feeling a bit lightheaded and wheezy? In Texas, December ushers in two seasons: the holidays and cedar fever. But as Christmas trees soon disappear upon January’s arrival, cedar trees are just getting their party started. For those of you currently in the grips of cedar fever, and in the interest of knowing thine enemy, the following shares the good (no, really), the bad (preaching to the choir), and the ugly (how you may feel right now) of Ashe Juniper (aka cedar).
What is cedar?
Known colloquially in Texas as “cedar”, Ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei) is an evergreen tree that is a member of the cypress family. The tree is named in honor of William Willard Ashe (1872-1932), a pioneer forester of the United States Forest Service. Ashe junipers have large, radiating branches that start almost a ground level, creating the illusion of a multi-trunked tree. The trees have a shaggy bark and grow to around 30 feet tall. The female tees produce blue berrylike cones. In the winter, the male trees create pollen which give the trees a burnt gold appearance. The pollen can be so intense it looks like dust blowing off the trees. It is this pollen that is very irritating to people with cedar allergies. The tree is native from southern Missouri south through Oklahoma and then down through central and west Texas to northern Chihuahua but, because it occurs in very large concentrations in Central Texas, it makes that part of the state something of a “ground zero” for allergy sufferers. (See the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center plant database for more on Ashe juniper.)
Ashe juniper was not always this abundant in Texas. Simply put, it has flourished thanks to human intervention and poor land management over many years. Decades of clearcutting, controlling fires, and overgrazing eroded the soil, leaving behind thin, rocky soil. Grasses and other plants could not get established on this poor quality land, but Ashe juniper could handle the tough conditions and thrived. Further, the periodic fires that would also help control cedar have diminished as people, understandably, want to prevent and control them. But even prescribed burns have become less possible as it’s difficult enough doing a prescribed burn on thousands of acres but, now, increasingly subdivided into smaller parcels of land makes it less possible.
What is good about cedar?
The Boerne Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas published an informative rundown of the benefits of Ashe juniper. The entire article is recommended, it even includes a recipe for orange-cranberry juniper jelly using the tree’s berries, but here are some of the highlights:
- Ashe juniper is drought tolerant and evergreen (imagine these rocky Texas hills naked).
- Its evergreen leaves provide shade, create organic matter, and capture moisture for the seedlings of more delicate trees and native flora.
- It is the larval host and nectar source for the Juniper Hairstreak butterfly.
- The Golden-cheeked Warbler uses old growth juniper with peeling bark strips to build its nest; it provides nesting sites and habitat for other birds and wildlife.
- A multitude of birds including Robins, Cedar Waxwings, Norther Cardinals, and Mockingbirds eat the berries, as do ringtail cats and foxes, among others.
- It’s used for fenceposts, crossties, poles, and fuel.
For more “good” from the Boerne Chapter of the Plant Society of Texas, visit https://npsot.org/wp/boerne/ashe-juniper-really-good-bad.
Cedar offers an opportunity for meeting your wildlife management activity requirements like creating brush piles that create shelter and safe havens for all manner of birds and small critters. In the tangle of branches, birds build nests and mammals hollow out dens. Brush piles offer protective covering, an escape from predators, as well as warmth in the winter and cooling shade in the summer.
Downed cedar brush left on slopes can help stabilize the land and control erosion. It slows down rain washing away the soil, allowing native grasses and plants a chance to take root and thrive. Slash placed around ponds and tanks also helps filter runoff into the water feature. Similarly, mulched cedar helps with erosion control and helps the ground hold additional moisture and return organic matter back into the soil.
What is bad about cedar?
If you’re in the grips of cedar fever, the one thing you’re not fuzzy about is the bad. Pollen counts typically peak in December and January, but they have been known to start earlier and last through February or March. Cedar fever symptoms may include sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes, cough, sinus congestion, headaches, and just general fatigue. So, yep, it’s bad.
What is ugly about cedar?
What’s ugly about cedar is the war that’s waged on it without considering all its facets. Will removing all cedar from your property stop your cedar fever? The answer my friend is blowin’ in the wind. Unless you never leave your home or convince the private landowners of the millions of acres in Texas covered in Ashe juniper, probably not. Further, as outlined, above, cedar has its purpose in a healthy ecosystem. Human actions caused Ashe juniper to flourish but human actions to correct that by trying to remove it all is not the answer. Its reputation as a “water guzzler” is, for the most part, unwarranted. A thick cedar canopy can prevent water from reaching what lies beneath, but research shows live oaks require more water and no one is advocating for their removal. Cedars near other more “likeable” trees help minimize erosion and create wind buffers and more temperate micro-environments for the other trees.
There is not a simple answer for how to address Ashe juniper. Your specific property, needs, and goals should be considered before yanking on that chain saw or cranking up the bull dozer. Consider where cedar can be eliminated and then be sure to take advantage of the downed slash to help with erosion around water features on your property. Consider where simply trimming back or pruning should be the answer to preserve some evergreen for your landscape and continue to provide a food source and shade for wildlife. And, of course, consider where you should just leave it alone for wildlife nesting and shelter and fostering and protecting the growth of other native trees and plants.
This native Texas tree may be considered invasive, but it’s our invasive and it’s up to Texas landowners to thoughtfully manage it. Gesundheit, y’all.
