Hackberries

Like many parts of the country, heavy rains and strong winds have been visiting San Antonio lately. These storms have taken a heavy toll of our tress because of the 22 month drought that broke this spring. Many trees lost root and trunk mass during the drought, and the heavy rains have now made the branches too heavy to be supported by the tree bases.

On our two acre lot, we have lost significant portion of about a dozen trees in the past three weeks. Because of this, the hackberry tree has become the bane of my existence. Hackberries are notorious for the trunks rotting from the inside-out to the point where they can no longer support the canopy. These vile trees then attack fences, roofs, and cars across the land.

We have removed many trees in the past month, which is very hard for me to do. I hate to see large trees cut down, but I know it has to happen. The trees may appear healthy on the outside but they are serious hazards. Much of the problem with the hackberry exists because they are a non-native species. They were brought to San Antonio to be shade trees and planted throughout the area. Now they pop up in yards and do not survive well in our climate, causing them to lose large branches. As Jenny and I continue to reshape our yard, we will aim at replacing non-native plants with natives that are better suited to our environment. Besides, there are so many beautiful native in Central Texas, it is hard to go wrong! Suggestions?