AUSTIN, Texas — The extreme heat, very little rainfall and last year's winter storm have caused trees in Central Texas to become stressed and troubled.
"Brown leaves, leaves that are falling early or early fall color a little bit, leaves changing and trees that are just straight up dying. It's a little bit depressing sometimes when you drive around," said Jonathan Motsinger, head of the Texas A&M Forest Service's Central Texas Operations.
Motsinger warns that native trees often do better in periods of drought because they have more adaptability, but even those are beginning to show signs of stress.
"Things like cedar owl, ash, juniper, even some live oaks ... are turning brown or not looking well," Motsinger said.
Christie Marshall owns Sid Mourning Tree Service and calls this her company's "busy season." But these conditions are leading her business to handle an inordinate amount of emergency calls.
"Anywhere from large limbs [that] have fallen on fences ... just things that they weren't normally having to deal with," Marshall said.
Motsinger said one challenge is providing trees with enough water.
"You do want to put on a good amount of water and let it soak in really slow, and that's going to be really important for helping these trees," Motsinger said. "Mulch keeps the soil moisture in the ground and keeps it from evaporating out of the ground. So a thin layer, two inches of mulch, preferably underneath the complete drip line of the tree, underneath of the canopy."
According to Motsinger, trees will often lose their leaves on purpose during droughts to maintain survival.
"There're a lot of times where we just need to be patient and see what happens, trees are resilient, trees like to surprise us," Motsinger said.
Tree service companies recommend that residents get their trees trimmed before any seasonal bad weather. Anyone who spots a dead tree is advised to call an arborist so its condition can be evaluated.
Customers with concerns about falling or brittle trees near power lines are encouraged to call Austin Energy or 311.