Our actions have been degrading Texas
karst country soils for 150 years |
If mountain cedars (juniper trees growing on Texas karst country) hadn't morphed from trees in forests and woodlands into pioneering thickets of bushy-cedars, our soils would be much more degraded today.
BECAUSE MOUNTAIN CEDARS ARE NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS. |
Many people, especially city people, hate these trees because they get cedar fever.
THE 2 TYPES OF
MOUNTAIN CEDAR COVER
The dense thickets of bushy mountain cedars we see today are called pioneer thickets. These are NOT cedar brakes. These days, pioneer thickets are ubiquitous because of the harm we caused. They are acting as pioneers because to help regenerate degraded Texas karst country.
True old-growth cedar brakes are 250+ years old dense forests with tall, timber-like mountain cedars. Historically, pioneer thickets were uncommon, but true cedar brakes were common.
Each cover type needs to be managed differently because they play different ecological roles.
True old-growth cedar brakes are 250+ years old dense forests with tall, timber-like mountain cedars. Historically, pioneer thickets were uncommon, but true cedar brakes were common.
Each cover type needs to be managed differently because they play different ecological roles.
PIONEER THICKETS
Regenerate karst function (5 - 75 years based on level of degradation)
increase karst porosity | enhance spring flows | rebuild soil structure & biology | reduce erosion | protect new plants | provide wildlife winter shelter and food
PIONEER THICKETS
Regenerate karst function (5 - 75 years based on level of degradation)
increase karst porosity | enhance spring flows | rebuild soil structure & biology | reduce erosion | protect new plants | provide wildlife winter shelter and food
OLD-GROWTH COVER
Sustains healthy karst function
protects karst porosity | sustains spring flows | protects soils | controls erosion | moves carbon deep | supports diverse wildlife habitat | feeds winter wildlife
Sustains healthy karst function
protects karst porosity | sustains spring flows | protects soils | controls erosion | moves carbon deep | supports diverse wildlife habitat | feeds winter wildlife
LIMESTONE JUNIPERS OF TEXAS |
Mountain cedars are native junipers that prefer limestone karst country. They are most abundant on the eastern Edwards Plateau and on karst country north to the Red River. They are less common on the semi-arid western Edwards Plateau:
Ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei) is the most commonly mentioned. It grows as a bushy shrub and is most often seen colonizing degraded rangelands. †Adams Juniper (Juniperus ovata) is a more ancestral juniper species that would have been more widely dispersed during the last ice age (10K+ years ago). Current populations exist in western New Braunfels (several are growing in Mission Hill Park) and western Comal County. There is also a population near Big Bend National Park. This species is also called Lemon Cedar due to its lemon-colored sapwood (Ashe Juniper sapwood is white). Ashe-Adams Juniper is a hybrid of Ashe Juniper and Adams Juniper. Ashe Junipers do not hydridize with any other juniper species. Field observations reveal that Adams junipers and the hybrids tend to grow as trees inside established woodlands and forests of the Eastern Edwards Plateau and karst country regions northward. Two other juniper species can be found growing on limestone karst country, but neither has a preference for limestone: Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) that grows from the central region of Texas to the Atlantic Ocean, can occasionally be found growing on limestone karst country. Redberry Juniper (Juniperus pinchotti) is found mostly on the western Edwards Plateau and grows as a shrub. Although common on karst country, it is just as common on non-karst country. † I named Adams Juniper after the recent Dr. Robert Adams of Baylor University who identified this separate species. |
HOW BIG CAN THEY GROW?
There's a general perception that mountain cedars do not grow very large. Or, that large ones aren't very old. Neither is true. Although it's true that mountain cedars can quickly spread across a rangeland, their growth once established is very slow. It is, afterall, a juniper. And junipers are long-lived species.
To properly read your land, you need to start by aging your mountain cedars. The formula calculates a range of ages to accommodate different growing conditions:
trunk width (4.5' up) divided by .1 and .06
Trees growing closer to water sources will be closer to the lower range; trees higher up on drier hills will be older. For instance, if your tree has a 12" wide trunk (measured 4.5' up from the ground), then it will be about 120 years old if it's growing near water, but at least 200 years old if growing on top of a hill.
To properly read your land, you need to start by aging your mountain cedars. The formula calculates a range of ages to accommodate different growing conditions:
trunk width (4.5' up) divided by .1 and .06
Trees growing closer to water sources will be closer to the lower range; trees higher up on drier hills will be older. For instance, if your tree has a 12" wide trunk (measured 4.5' up from the ground), then it will be about 120 years old if it's growing near water, but at least 200 years old if growing on top of a hill.