"symplastless" wrote in message
. ..

Dace

Good question!


"Dave" wrote in message
ink.net...
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.

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 he
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/shigo/index.html


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?

Like human doctors I would have to see the patient.


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


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.




After looking at the south and western portions adjacent to Wimberley, TX;
this I consider an over-generalized joke of soil description.
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/...s/SS/gps1.html

I've seen areas with little or no topsoil in the majority of those areas.
Most of it is a very thin layer of light gray-vaguely green clay version.
Not black. Only those areas with generous fill allowances in the limestone
have gathered anything resembling soil that is black. Many of those
shallower areas contain juniper ashe leave accumulations instead of soil.
You may ask what that has to do with my questions. My subsequent question
is where topsoil comes from to begin with in a semi-arid region primarily
consisting primarily of limestone outcroppings and calcium carbonate fill
(caliche)? This is what the juniper ashe is living on in that region. As
is the live oak.

Am trying to make people think... research and look at the big picture on
their own. Hopefully, not distracted by nuances. Rather, how it all fits
together. An ecosystem.

One question that one could ask is why the juniper ashe needs so much water
storage, consider the root system and what it has to penetrate in the TX
hill country and how its done, hydraulics (water). That's a start.

Another question that strikes me is if the juniper ashe and live oak are
mutually beneficial in the TX hill country despite their externally obvious
competition?
Dave