pderry11 Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 I ran across this project for San Francisco's urban forest (http://www.urbanforestmap.org/map/) and I started thinking, why isn't there one for Houston? If there's one thing I love about this city it's all the trees we have here. The obvious challenge to something like this is: Houston is enormous.Anyway, I thought it was kind of neat.EDIT: The more I think about it, the less I like the title of this thread, oh well. Too late now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 It would be easier to show the places that don't have trees here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pderry11 Posted July 18, 2011 Author Share Posted July 18, 2011 It would be easier to show the places that don't have trees here.Those would probably be parking lots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simbha Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 I ran across this project for San Francisco's urban forest (http://www.urbanforestmap.org/map/) and I started thinking, why isn't there one for Houston? If there's one thing I love about this city it's all the trees we have here. The obvious challenge to something like this is: Houston is enormous. Houston as a whole is, but something similar could possibly be done for the urban core - say, the inner loop or the areas encompassing DT, UT, and TMC (and, I'll add, maybe Memorial Park). Anyway, I thought it was kind of neat. It is! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 I ran across this project for San Francisco's urban forest (http://www.urbanforestmap.org/map/) and I started thinking, why isn't there one for Houston? If there's one thing I love about this city it's all the trees we have here. The obvious challenge to something like this is: Houston is enormous.Anyway, I thought it was kind of neat.EDIT: The more I think about it, the less I like the title of this thread, oh well. Too late now.There is a nonprofit called Trees for Houston that I am sure would welcome your help and contributions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxDave Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 There are a couple of things that should be done to preserve the urban forest:• Plant numerous trees in new developments that don’t naturally have them – a single Bradford Pear type tree is not enough after the initial sale• Plant numerous new trees in established areas – the mature trees won’t last forever and having replacements in place will make the transition seamlessA strong tree canopy is a major factor in making a neighborhood more desirable (e.g. South Blvd). Even neighborhoods that are not as grand can jump in value with good trees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utinga Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 "a single Bradford Pear type tree is not enough after the initial sale"Thanks for my morning laugh. lol"A strong tree canopy is a major factor in making a neighborhood more desirable"What would the true cost of tree planting to a developer be? I think it would pay for itself in added "green" advertisement potential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Decent sized trees are a few hundred dollars. If we lose a tree, I'll be planting a bur oak instead of the water oaks we currently have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pleak Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Decent sized trees are a few hundred dollars. If we lose a tree, I'll be planting a bur oak instead of the water oaks we currently have.Plant one of each. The water oak for you, the bur oak for your grandkids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Plant one of each. The water oak for you, the bur oak for your grandkids.I plan on living to 143 to see the bur oak mature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pleak Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 I plan on living to 143 to see the bur oak mature.Well, you're good then. Just be careful - they have fairly large acorns and they could be a tripping hazard at that age as your shufflin' along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 Trees are nice and all, and done well they can cut down on your energy bill (until they fall over into your roof in a storm), but isn't the natural state of most of Houston a prairie, and not a forest? Shouldn't urban prairies be promoted instead of urban forests? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barracuda Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 Trees are nice and all, and done well they can cut down on your energy bill (until they fall over into your roof in a storm), but isn't the natural state of most of Houston a prairie, and not a forest? Shouldn't urban prairies be promoted instead of urban forests?Yes, although I doubt that would be acceptable for most homesteads. People generally overlook the immense biodiversity of parries and grasslands. And invasive Chinese Tallows take over most of what people don't outright demolish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 Trees are nice and all, and done well they can cut down on your energy bill (until they fall over into your roof in a storm), but isn't the natural state of most of Houston a prairie, and not a forest? Shouldn't urban prairies be promoted instead of urban forests?Depends on which part of town you live in. There's a reason Timbergrove has that name. The 1944 aerials show a bunch of trees in this part of town, not so many elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luciaphile Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 I expect this is mostly an Austin-bashing bill, and will ultimately be tailored to Austin, but it may affect other cities as well: http://www.austintreeexperts.com/blog/kolkhorst-anti-tree-bill/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croberts Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 in south Florida, urban forestry has gone through two transitions since I moved here in 1990 Phase 1 1920 t0 1992 Plant fast growing (and invasive) tropical trees Phase 2 1992-2000 Plant noninvasive and native trees Phase 3 2000+ Preserve stands of native trees, and plant more native trees, use more native plants in landscaping Houston is on the boundary of the great plains and the semitropical southern forests. The images here are from Landsat. The 1972 image is the earliest Landsat image of the Houston area, the other one is much later. These are color infrared composites, the deep velvety maroon color is forest, the brighter reddish pink color is prairies. These are much reduced resolution images. On the prairies, gallery forests originally existed along the bayous. Live oaks and willows would be the most characteristic trees. They would have grown along the original channels of Buffalo, White Oak, and Braes Bayou. Willow water hole was probably lined with coastal plain willow, the trees appear smaller on the the pre-scraping aerial photos. The limiting factors for tree growth on the great plains was probably fire regimes, then grazing and croplands, or else water (marshes). When I lived there, there was no consideration for these things, the agenda was fast growing trees for former prairie. And it it was not a prairie, developers made it one. Then we planted chinese tallow, arizona ash and chinese umbrella trees, all exotics and two of them are invasive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luciaphile Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 This live oak in the Columbia Bottomlands took the Texas grand champion title from Goose Island SP's "Big Tree": http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RlTXJ9LWszk/TXqKdlb1I4I/AAAAAAAAE9Q/9qKZ463G4gY/s1600/wen-bigtree-sm.JPG But I associate water oaks with Buffalo Bayou. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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