The Ancient Cross Timbers Forest

The Ancient Cross Timbers Forest

Article by Diane Wetherbee, Citizen Forester Liaison

Cross Timbers Road. Cross Timbers Development District. Cross Timbers Gazette. It seems everywhere you turn in North Texas, you see the words “Cross Timbers.” Newcomers to the area may wonder what the Cross Timbers is and why it’s so important that it is immortalized in names all over the area.

The Cross Timbers Forest is the last of the forests early European settlers encountered as they traveled from the east to the west. Look at any two maps, and none will agree on the exact location of the Cross Timbers. The forest isn’t a single continuous band of trees, but instead is a mosaic of forests with prairie glades throughout. It runs generally north and south, stretching from southeast Kansas, through central and eastern Oklahoma, then through north central Texas all the way to the Waco area. Post oaks and blackjack oaks are the predominant species, along with hickory, elm, and hackberry trees. The understory is a tangled mess of vines, briars, and dense shrubs, nothing like the neat pine forests of East Texas.

Plant ecologist Suzanne Tuttle, retired manager of Fort Worth Nature Center, explains that the Cross Timbers Forest is two separate bands of that ancient forest mosaic, each growing on distinctively different soil types. The Eastern Cross Timbers, which runs through much of western Denton County, including Flower Mound and Lantana, is a narrow band no more than 15 miles wide, with coarse, sandy soils over sandstone. The Western Cross Timbers, a much wider band located generally just west of Fort Worth and stretching almost to Abilene, has shallower sandy soils with a limestone base.

The Grand Prairie separates the two major forest sections, although there are many large stretches of prairie that run throughout the Cross Timbers. Long Prairie, which gives FM 2499 its street name, is one example of a very large prairie within the Eastern Cross Timbers. The Flower Mound, the 12.5-acre prairie remnant that gives the town its name, is the sole remaining tiny piece of Long Prairie.

If you’ve ever hiked off trail in the forests of North Texas, you’re well acquainted with the challenges the Cross Timbers must have presented to travelers during our country’s westward expansion: low-growing forests full of trees with gnarled limbs. blankets of thorny vines, and thick underbrush. Famous writer Washington Irving, author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle, joined an expedition in 1832 to the Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). After weeks of hacking their way through the Cross Timbers Forest, Irving wrote, “I shall not easily forget the mortal toil, and the vexations of flesh and spirit, that we underwent occasionally, in our wanderings through the Cross Timber. It was like struggling through forests of cast iron.” And that’s how the Cross Timbers got its nickname, the Cast Iron Forest.

You must be tough to make your way through the Cross Timbers. The forest effectively cut off westward travel between the prairies to the east and the Great Plains of the wild western frontier. For those European settlers who were hardy enough to settle here, it helped protect them from raids of the Plains tribes living to the west, like the Comanches. That’s one reason you don’t hear many stories about Indian settlements or raids in Denton County. Native American tribes in this area were often nomadic, and they had to be tough to make their way through the Cross Timbers, as well.

Tuttle, the plant ecologist, warns that the relatively small size of the Eastern Cross Timbers makes it highly endangered, since so much of it is already developed. “The Eastern Cross Timbers is probably the most endangered ecosystem in Texas. It is small in acreage and is in the crosshairs of one of the most rapidly developing areas of the United States,” Tuttle said. Post oaks grow very slowly, and they often don’t look as old as they are. In untouched areas, the Cross Timbers has post oaks that are 200-400 years old, predating the birth of the U.S. Yet a 200-year-old post oak may only be 30 feet in height and not very large in circumference, and because of that, we often don’t recognize their significance.

These tough forest guardians have withstood our region’s ice storms, hail, strong winds, frequent droughts, and temperatures that range from lows near zero in winter to over 100 in summer. But by far their fiercest adversary is human expansion into the desirable North Texas area. They are sensitive to root disturbance, so building too close to the tree or running construction equipment over the root zone can cause a tree to die. Post oaks are rarely found in the nursery trade because they take so long to grow and are difficult to transplant successfully. Your best bet is to start with an acorn planted where you ultimately want the oak.

If you’d like to read more about the Cross Timbers Forest and its important role in forming our history and our current landscape, pick up a copy of Richard V. Francaviglia’s book, The Cast Iron Forest: A Natural and Cultural History of the North American Cross Timbers. It’s a fascinating story of the important part this strange, tough forest and prairie mosaic played in the settlement of North Texas, its continuing struggles for survival, and its sometimes dreary outlook for survival in the future. As Francaviglia puts it, “…despite incredible changes, the cast iron forest stubbornly refuses to disappear. Despite the passage of several centuries, the Cross Timbers still resonate with history and generate a sense of wonder.”

Appeared in The Cross Timbers Gazette, October 20, 2022

 

 

How to Protect Trees from Insects and Pests

How to Protect Trees from Insects and Pests

by Teri Silver

D-shaped exit holes from emerald ash borer adults

Protecting trees from insects and pests keeps the greenery healthy and strong while preventing your yard from becoming a bug-fest. 

No matter where you live, but especially in Texas where summertime heat and humidity can be brutal, the bugs want to chew on just about everything — trees and people included. Keep your trees healthy in these ways.

Monitor and Inspect

Early detection helps you alleviate bug problems before summer sets in.  

In spring, give your trees a checkup before new leaves and buds emerge. Inspect tree leaves, branches, trunks, and roots for holes, chewing, insect nests, and storm damage. Strong roots are the most important part of the tree –– they bring nutrients, oxygen, and water to the trunk and limbs. If the roots are infested by bugs, chewed up, or decayed, the tree could be in trouble. Insect damage may also cause trunk damage by compromising the tree’s core and strength.

The Tree Checklist

To protect your trees from insect damage:

  • Prune branches and limbs and remove excess foliage. This allows more sunlight and air to flow inward. (Tip: Apply a bit of rubbing alcohol to the shears to prevent the spread of disease from one tree to another).
  • Water trees to keep the branches from drying out. Dead and dried-out wood attracts insects. 
  • Wrap tree trunks in burlap, corrugated cardboard, or treated fabric between November and April. This will keep them warm during winter so they don’t crack or splinter. Insects crawl into exposed wood — especially where bark is missing.
  • Clean up your yard after storms and pruning. Fallen branches and brush attract common tree pests like beetles and aphids. 

Bug Traps

Emerald Ash Borer

A variety of bug traps are known to protect trees from insect damage. For example, there’s a gizmo that traps emerald ash borers — these insects have destroyed millions of trees in the United States. Tree bands and other types of bug catchers are available at garden and home improvement stores and online.

Natural Insect Control

Go natural by applying organic pest control solutions to your back and front yard trees. Here are a few options.

Corn Gluten Meal

While cornmeal is known to prevent weeds from germinating, it is also used on herbs to keep away bugs. Ants may come after the cornmeal, but they can’t digest it, which should bring the population down.

Sprinkle cornmeal around the ground under the tree’s canopy. 

Neem Oil

With an active compound called azadirachtin, neem oil is a natural fungicide for ornamental trees, houseplants, fruits, vegetables, nuts, flowers, and shrubs. Neem oil controls aphids, spider mites, beetles, white flies, and other insects.

Apply neem oil directly to tree leaves — not into the soil or around the roots. It works best on larvae and immature insects.

Insecticidal Soap

Soft-bodied insects like spider mites, thrips, whiteflies, leafhoppers, and aphids are good targets for insecticidal soap because the solution has fatty acids that break down buggy bodies. Insecticidal soaps don’t work as well against hard-bodied insects like beetles, but they also won’t harm birds and pollinators.

Spray insecticidal soap thoroughly on leaves in the early morning or early evening so they won’t dry out quickly in the heat of the day. Don’t let the liquid drip to the ground.

Oh “Deer” Me!

You may not think of deer as pests, but they can definitely damage your trees. Deer like to do more than just nibble on tree leaves. Males rub against tree trunks to mark their territories and remove soft coverings from antlers. The biggest damage comes from antler rubbings around 3 feet above the ground. Prevent tree rubbing by pounding wooden stakes around each tree 18 inches apart.

Safeguarding trees from pests and insect infestations isn’t easy and probably not 100% effective, but the more you do to inspect and protect, the healthier your trees will be.

Teri Silver is a journalist and outdoor enthusiast. She and her husband live on 5 acres with a vast lawn, three gardens, a farm, a pond, many trees, and a lot of yard work! The best parts of the year are summer and fall when home-grown veggies are on the dinner table.

Selecting the Right Red Oak

Selecting the Right Red Oak

Articles posted reflect the work of the individual authors and have been chosen by the Cross Timbers Urban Forestry Council Editorial Board for their potential value to our readers. Questions should be addressed to the author.

Keeping the Green Side Up

Keeping the Green Side Up

Laura M. Miller, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, North Texas Urban Forestry Conference Chair

The 2023 North Texas Urban Forestry Conference will provide tree professionals with an opportunity to learn about the ways we can best protect valuable trees while accommodating the need for housing, transportation, and commercial development in one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States.

Each year, members of the Cross Timbers Urban Forestry Council and the Trinity Blacklands Urban Forestry Council work together to provide a conference packed with relevant information in a convenient location to provide busy North Texas commercial and municipal arborists with an opportunity to learn and build a strong professional network.  

On Wednesday, February 15, 2023, we will welcome back Dr. Todd Watson.  Dr. Watson’s last North Texas Urban Forestry Conference speaking engagement occurred when Dr. Ed Gilman was stuck in a snowed in airport (presumably not in Florida) one February in the early 2000s.  This year, he’ll have time to prepare to tell us everything he knows about trees and construction, well everything he can fit into two hours, in a keynote presentation entitled “Deconstructing construction damage to trees.”  Dr. Watson will take a break and hear from one of his former students at Texas A&M University, Gareth Harrier with Bartlett Tree Experts, who will give us some examples of tree protection projects in North Texas.   We will also hear from a great panel of municipal arborists: Keith Martin, City of Southlake, Colleen Fitzgerald, City of Denton, and Jimmy Hoefert, Town of Flower Mound, and find out how they really feel about their tree ordinances.  Since Emerald Ash Borer is still an issue, we’ll have a quick update and display from Texas A&M Forest Service Forest Health Specialists, and Dr. Watson will once again take the stage to talk about tree valuation formulas. 

In honor of the first ISA Board Certified Master Arborist in the state of Texas, the one and only Dr. Todd Watson, we will be offering BCMA CEUs in both the Practice and Management categories and a total of 6 CEUs for Certified Arborists, Utility Specialists, and Municipal Specialists.  

Who should attend?  Anyone who is interested in helping trees and people live in proximity is welcome, but in past years about half of the participants in North Texas Urban Forestry Conference have been commercial arborists who work for tree care companies, but we also attract municipal employees and a variety of tree enthusiasts who work for educational and nonprofit organizations, as well as Citizen Forester volunteers and students.

Registration is available at http://ctufc.org/conference/

Behind the Bark: A look at the beautiful wood inside North Texas trees – Part Two

Behind the Bark: A look at the beautiful wood inside North Texas trees – Part Two

By Kelly Geer, Urban Tree Merchants

PART TWO:

Changing trees. Autumn breeze. Falling leaves. Cooler temps are often a reminder to look up and take in the beauty of the trees and nature around us. But let’s take a deeper look at the beauty hiding behind the bark in five of the most popular trees in North Texas.

American Elm

American elms are fast-growing, easily transplanted, and will grow in many situations, tolerating wide differences in rainfall, soil, and light conditions. This classic vase-shaped landscape tree has a beautifully symmetrical crown with spreading branches and can grow up to 90 feet tall with a trunk diameter of up to 3 feet. Once dry, Ulmus americana wood is heavy, hard, strong, and tough making it durable for cutting boards, tables, and other heavy-use furniture pieces.

Tree Bark Raw Wood Grain Finished Piece

Bald Cypress

Bald cypress trees add grace and beauty to many of Texas’ most cherished waterways. A member of the Redwood family, they are among the first trees in Texas to lose their leaves in the fall (hence the name “bald cypress”) and the last to bud in the spring. Cypress is also called the “wood eternal” because the heartwood is resistant to decay. Bald cypress is used for heavy construction, including docks, warehouses, boats, and bridges. Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) is light in weight and light in color making it a beautiful choice for furniture and décor.

Tree (Yard) Tree (River) Bark Raw Wood Grain Cross-Section & Slab Finished Piece

Cedar

Juniperus virginiana, Eastern Redcedar, is an evergreen tree that may grow 30 to 40 feet tall. The heartwood is light brown, red, purple, and aromatic, contrasted by the white sapwood, and is commonly used for cedar chests. The wood is also often used to make fence posts and rails as it is naturally rot-resistant. It also repels insects, lending to its appeal for use in clothing storage, pet bedding, outdoor furniture, planters, and more. Eastern Redcedar is easily grown in average, dry to moist, well-drained soils in full sun.  It will tolerate a wide range of soils and growing conditions, from swamps to dry rocky glades.  It can even grow on seemingly barren soils that few other plants can tolerate.  It prefers moist soils but is intolerant of constantly wet soils.

Tree Bark Raw Wood Grain Finished Piece

Cottonwood

Cottonwoods (Populus deltoides) are massive shade trees that grow naturally throughout the United States. You can recognize them at a distance by their broad, white trunks. They have lustrous, bright green foliage in summer that changes to brilliant yellow in fall. Cottonwood trees are the fastest growing trees in North America. A young tree can add 6 feet (2 m.) or more in height each year. This rapid growth leads to weak wood that is easily damaged by the elements (such as storms).  Planting cottonwood trees in home landscapes leads to problems. These messy trees have weak wood and are prone to disease. In addition, their massive size makes them out of scale for all but the largest landscapes. Cottonwoods need a location with full sun and lots of moisture. They grow particularly well along lakes and rivers as well as in marshy areas. The trees prefer sandy or silty soil.

Tree Bark Raw Wood Grain Finished Piece

Pine

The loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) is considered the most commercially valuable of all southern pines. Pine trees are coniferous trees and part of the evergreen family, and they consist of four types of leaves, with needles being the most common type. Today native pines are used for construction, furniture, pulpwood, flooring, land management and more. The beautiful heartwood is yellow to orange, with lighter sapwood. They are also very easy to care for, are a natural air freshener, provide great shade, and help prevent erosion.

Tree Bark Raw Wood Grain Finished Piece

If your tree dies or needs to be removed, consider giving a piece of the tree a second life in your home or office. Before you contact a Certified Arborist or ISA Certified Tree Care Company to remove the tree, reach out to a local sawmill or woodworker to talk about your options for having a part of the tree made into a custom wood furniture piece or wood décor item. At Urban Tree Merchants, we are a tree-to-table company which means we walk with our clients through every stage of the design process from log collection, milling, and drying to finishing, epoxy work, custom bases, and installation. Learn more on our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram.

Behind the Bark: A look at the beautiful wood inside North Texas trees

Behind the Bark: A look at the beautiful wood inside North Texas trees

By Kelly Geer, Urban Tree Merchants

PART ONE

It may be hot in Texas but we are still blessed to be surrounded by many lush and beautiful trees that offer shade, blooms, and even nuts to eat! This article will help you identify and learn more about five of the most popular trees in North Texas and take you behind the bark to see the unique wood grains hiding all around us. 

Ash

Fraxinus velutina or Arizona Ash is a large and fast-growing shade tree with a rounded canopy and light green leaves. It is well suited for hot, dry conditions. Ash wood is considered a hardwood however it is also lightweight and shock-resistant making it popular for baseball bats and other sports equipment as well as durable furniture like tables and desks. Ash trees are very susceptible to freeze damage and are currently under attack in North Texas from the Emerald Ash Borer, a dark green beetle that weakens trees in the winter and kills them in the summer. Contact an Arborist if you believe your trees might be infested. 

Tree Bark Raw Wood Grain Finished Piece

Live Oak

Live oak, Quercus virginiana, elicit an image of the ‘Deep South’ & tree-lined streets with Spanish moss dangling from their limbs.  Live oaks are stately trees with spreading canopies that provide extensive shade.  They are popular landscaping trees in North Texas because they will grow in almost any soil type and they are evergreen, dropping their leaves in February/March instead of the fall. Live oak typically have long, extending branches that give the tree it’s unique shape. 

Tree Bark Raw Wood Grain Finished Piece

Pecan

Texas’ state tree, Carya illinoinensis, is a species of hickory and in the walnut family. Pecan is a grand tree that grows a large trunk, provides nutritious nuts & deep shade.  Pecans grow fairly rapidly & makes a nice landscape tree in a large yard or park.  Wildlife love the pecans. A mature tree can be over 100 feet tall and 100 feet wide with a lifespan of over 300 years.

Tree Bark Raw Wood Grain Finished Piece

Post Oak

Post oak (Quercus stellata) has a beautiful branching structure that speaks to rugged determination and strength. The post oak got its name from early settlers who commonly used the decay resistant wood for fence posts. Post oak takes several forms but most familiar are the upright majestic shade trees with twisted and knarled branches. If you have Post oak trees and are considering removing some; think long & hard because these beautiful trees cannot be replaced in your lifetime. They are among the last trees to leaf out in the spring and one of the earliest to stop growing, which contribute to their slow growth rate. The average post oak takes more than ten years to grow 2” in trunk diameter, however, it becomes a dominant species on poor sites due to its drought resistance. Post oaks are not often found at nurseries so if you have the chance to plant one on your property, don’t pass up the occasion!

Tree Bark Raw Wood Grain Finished Piece

Red Oak

The Shumard Oak is a stately tree with great urban adaptability. This fast growing oak is a popular choice with homeowners assist provides quick shade & excellent fall color in a very attractive shape. Shumard Red Oaks, Quercus shumardii, grow naturally along streams & in moist forests, however, they do excellent in landscape settings because they are drought tolerant. Red Oaks produce small acorns loved by deer and squirrels.

Tree Bark Raw Wood Grain Finished Piece

If your tree dies or needs to be removed, consider giving a piece of the tree a second life in your home or office. Before you contact a Certified Arborist or ISA Certified Tree Care Company to remove the tree, reach out to a local sawmill or woodworker to talk about your options for having a part of the tree made into custom wood furniture piece or wood décor item. At Urban Tree Merchants, we are a tree to table company which means we walk with our clients through every stage of the design process from log collection, milling, and drying to finishing, epoxy work, custom bases, and installation. Learn more on our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram

In Behind the Bark Part Two, we will take a look at American Elm, Bald Cypress, Cedar, Cottonwood, and Pine.

The Lost Maples of Vanderpool in the Texas Hill Country

The Lost Maples of Vanderpool in the Texas Hill Country

By Amira Hamdan

The four seasons in Texas are an elusive thing. Sure, you’ll find summer, and even for a month or two, you’ll enjoy the mildest of winters south of the Panhandle. (You’ll find real winter in the Panhandle itself.) Spring lasts about as long as a weekend flash flood. As for fall? Well, autumn is the hardest season to find in the Lone Star State. But if you head northwest, a little less than two hours from San Antonio, you’ll find it in Vanderpool. The Lost Maples State Natural Area puts on quite a show of red, yellow and orange in autumn.

In the last ice age, the range of maples was much greater and reached well into Texas. The Vanderpool maples are rare relics of that era, able to survive due to the area’s microclimate and uncommon soils. These trees are an ancient and colorful reminder of what trees do for local ecosystems  and how much of an impact they make.

What You’ll See

https://www.flickr.com/photos/atbaker/5177577110

New Englanders might take fall colors for granted — but not Texans. As much as Texans love their hot summers and mild winters, they go crazy for things Northerners take for granted, such as snow and red and gold autumn leaves. That’s because in most parts of the state, maples are not native plants and have a harder time surviving outside of this micro-ecosystem in Vanderpool. Native plants are vegetation that grows naturally and doesn’t need a lot of TLC to survive – like the live oak trees that dot the Texas landscape, or the yaupon, or the prickly pear cactus.

Of course, fall color depends on the weather conditions, and so the state puts out fall foliage reports online and on social media. You can get an idea of how intense the colors are before you hit the road. Vanderpool is also a scenic drive from the popular tourist towns of Fredericksburg and Kerrville. You can make Vanderpool part of a day or weekend in the Texas Hill Country. It’s a great excuse to get outside and enjoy Texas’ brief fall season.

How to Get There

San Antonio is the closest major city to this natural wonder. The fastest way to Vanderpool from SA is west on US-90 to Sabinal, where you hang a right on North Center Street. That turns into TX-127 for a while, and then it turns into Ranch Road 187 before depositing you at the Lost Maples. You’ll find the town of Vanderpool just north of the Lost Maples. If you’re coming from I-10 north of San Antonio, turn west on TX-27. Turn right on Ranch Road 187, which takes you right to the park.

Know Before You Go

https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1592045

Turns out autumn is so popular in the state of Texas, the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife often has to close the park when it hits capacity. But you can reserve your spot at the Lost Maples State Natural Area. Once the sun goes down, the stars at night are big and bright at Lost Maples (which literally is deep in the heart of Texas) — and a treat for stargazers. There’s an entrance fee to Lost Maples State Natural. It’s $6 for adults, and free to kids 12 and younger.

Few people need an excuse to get away to the Texas Hill Country, but in November, you can add one more reason to run for the hills. The Lost Maples of Vanderpool will make you think — just for a moment — that you’re in an autumn wonderland, in one of the best regional vacation areas in Texas.

Amira Hamdan is a traveler who loves to write, and a writer who loves to travel. Plunk her down in a new place and she will find the best local cuisine by noon and the best campsite or B&B by nightfall.

Mayfest 2022

Mayfest 2022

Mayfest 2022

Join Cross Timbers Urban Forestry Council for a free tree giveaway during Mayfest. 

 

Mayfest Info

Mayfest is the biggest party in Fort Worth! Four days of live music, festival food, carnival rides, performing arts, pet adoptions, and more than 60 Art and Gift Market vendors, free children’s activities, special attractions – the list goes on and on!

Cross Timbers Urban Forestry Council along with Bartlett Tree Experts and the City of Fort Worth Park & Recreation bring a free tree giveaway to Mayfest on Saturday, May 7th and Sunday, May 8th from Noon to 5 p.m.

Where

2401 University Drive

The booth is located in Trinity Park. 

When

May 7th and 8th 

Trees given away every hour on the hour starting at Noon and running until 5pm each day. 

What

8 different tree species. 

Please, only 1 tree per person per day. 

The giveaway starts promptly on the hour and last until the last tree of that hour is given away. This usually takes less than 10 minutes. Come early and get your free tree!

Are you concerned about how and where to plant your tree? Don’t worry, tree experts will be on hand to answer your questions. 

Tree Giveaway Sponsors

City of Fort Worth Heritage Trees

City of Fort Worth Heritage Trees

Fort Worth has long promoted urban forestry practices dating back to 1873 when the city charter declared it illegal to hitch a horse to a tree. The city even hired their first arborist in the 1920’s. So, it should come as no shock that there is an assortment of trees spread throughout the city that are considered significant and are classified as Fort Worth Heritage Trees. Now, if I were to tell you there is a tree in the community that is known to exist before the Declaration of Independence OR a tree that is known to exist before the U.S. Constitution was ratified would you believe me? The Turner Oak is recognized by the state of Texas as one of Texas Famous Trees. Texas Forest Service did a core sample to date the age of the tree to over 250 years old. This tree has played an important part in the history of Fort Worth. Named after Charles Turner who was one of five men originally selected to find a location for the camp that was to become Fort Worth. Although opposed to the secession of Texas leading up to the Civil War, he supported the decision of the majority after they voted to side with the Confederacy by organizing a company of men for the war at his own expense. When the Confederacy demanded that citizens exchange their gold for Confederate currency, Turner refused and, with the help of a trusted slave, buried thousands of dollars in gold under a tree growing near the family’s home. During Reconstruction following the end of the war, Turner unearthed the gold and used it to pay off debts owed by the firm of Turner and Daggett and stabilized the local economy, allowing the City to get through a financially difficult period. This is just one of the interesting finds I found while updating the Heritage Tree webpage. The history and significance these trees have to the Fort Worth community is invaluable.

Turner’s Oak

What does it take to become a Heritage Tree? The tree must be located in the Fort Worth city limits and meet at least one of the following criteria:

  • Possess an unusual size, age, species significance or other characteristic that contributes to its heritage status.
  • Be located on a historic site, or contribute to the history of a site.
  • Serve as a well-known landmark.
  • Contribute to significant community ties. 

Nominations for new Heritage Trees are reviewed annually, by an independent panel, and new Heritage Trees are announced at the city’s Arbor Day celebration in November. (Nomination form on the webpage) The Heritage Tree Program helps to foster an appreciation of trees and promotes public awareness that heritage trees are a living and distinct resource for the community. If you know of a tree that meets at least one of the criteria above please take the time to nominate it.  The more history and background provided, the better the tree generally scores with the panel.

I encourage you to check out the new webpage for Fort Worth’s Heritage Trees. Browse pictures, locations, and learn the history of these magnificent trees. All Heritage Trees posted on the webpage are accessible to the public. You won’t find a sign at most of the trees so be sure to check the map location and cross reference the pictures online to make sure you are at the correct one. I would love showcase pictures taken through the years on the webpage by community members. Please share your pictures with us by using the hashtag #ftwheritagetrees or emailing them to: forestry@fortworthtexas.gov.

DISCLAIMER: Photos and other support materials will become the property of the City of Fort Worth and will not be returned. Submission of photos gives the City of Fort Worth permission to use them in any and all of its publications, including website entries, without payment or any other consideration. The City of Fort Worth may edit, alter, copy, exhibit, publish or distribute submitted photos for the purpose of publicizing its programs or for any other lawful purpose.

Link to Heritage Trees Webpage: https://arcg.is/1qSnGP0

If you have any questions about this program contact: Hannah Johnson: Hannah.johnson@fortworthtexas.gov