Trees of Houston

After writing the post on the Trees of Austin, I fell to thinking. Houston does have some trees of great age, and many beautiful tree-lined streets. However, the trees on those streets are no more than 60 or 70 years old. Where are the trees aged between 70 and 150 years? It's as if there is a danger zone there, when the neighborhood around the trees is considered to need re-development, so the trees are chopped down to make way for sprightly new trees. Moreover, big trees might be an eyesore, so out they go.

Here's an example. The area in front of the Old Science Building at the University of Houston had several large trees in the '80s, but by the toddler years of the noughties they were gone, replaced by crape myrtles. 

In the eighties, perhaps the '70s

June 2012

Now, there are a few great examples of old trees in Houston. One was mentioned in the last post (the large tree in the middle). Another is this great example of an ancient magnolia, that venerable species of the South with its enormous, heady-smelling flowers. Its trunk is probably five feet in diameter, if not more.

Another wonderful tree is this one, located on the site of a former stockyard, now a field used for intramural sports. It used to have a fence around it, but that's been removed (probably no one wants to go near a tree as well-guarded by high grass, cacti, and probably snakes). It is supposed to be the oldest mesquite tree in Harris County, as a result of efforts of grounds supervisors who have maintained it for the past three decades (source). 

Most of the tree sprawls out over the ground.

Who has defiled the tree with a cable spool?

But let's be honest. The reason most such trees are preserved are at least indirectly because of local governments that recognize their worth and retain them. Beautiful neighborhoods might not stay that way for long.