MYTH BUSTING A NEW KSAT EXPLAINS. COMING UP NEXT. >> IT IS SOMETIMES MAYBE OFTEN
CALLED THE MOST HATED TREE IN
TEXAS MOUNTAINS HERE. AND SOME
WOULD ARGUE FOR A GOOD REASON.
IT MAKES PEOPLE MISERABLE IN
THE BUT A SAN ANTONIO IN THE
HILL COUNTRY’S POPULATION HAS
GROWN OVER THE YEARS. SO HAVE A
LOT OF MYTHS ABOUT THIS TREE
IN TODAY’S KSAT EXPLAINS,
METEOROLOGIST SARAH SPIVEY’S
DOES SOME MOUNTAIN. CEDAR MYTH
BUSTING?
>> FIRST THING TO KNOW ABOUT
MOUNTAIN. SEE THERE. THEY
TECHNICALLY AREN’T CEDAR TREES
AT ALL. MOUNTAIN CEDARS
ACTUALLY IN ASHE JUNIPER.
IT’S A NIPPER FAMILY, NOT THE
SEAGER FAMILY. TRUE. CEDAR
TREES, RESIGN. YOU
MEDITERRANEAN SEA AROUND EUROPE
AND NORTHERN AFRICA. THE
JUNIPER TREES DO BEAR SOME
RESEMBLANCE TO CEDAR. SO A LOT
OF EXPLORERS WHEN A FIRST
COMING TO THE WESTERN UNITED
THESE TREES, THEY JUST PREFER
TO MEND THEM HAS CEDARS BECAUSE
OF THAT REASON. AND THAT’S THE
WAY IT’S BEEN FOR HUNDREDS OF
YEARS. HE SIMPLY CALLED HASHED
IN UPPER TREES. NOW CAN SEE
THAT WE DON’T FIGHT IT ANYMORE.
WE JUST EXCEPTED CEDAR RESIDES
THROUGHOUT TEXAS, EVEN UP NEAR
THE DFW METROPLEX STRETCHING
INTO OKLAHOMA AND PARTS
OF ARKANSAS.
>> BUT IT DAN CEDAR FOREST
EXISTS IN THE TEXAS HILL
COUNTRY BECAUSE THEY REALLY
THRIVE ON LIMESTONE SOILS,
HILLY ENVIRONMENTS, AREAS THAT
DON’T HAVE VERY THE SOIL AT
ALL. AND IT’S THIS PART OF
TEXAS AROUND SAN ANTONIO,
AUSTIN AND THE HILL COUNTRY
WHERE WE REALLY FEEL THE
IMPACTS FROM CEDAR POLLEN.
IT YOU EYES WATERY EYES.
SNEEZING FITS FOLLOWED BY JUST.
>> COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF MUCUS
LEFT A TISSUE THAT ALL CEDAR
TREES ARE BAD FOR YOUR
ALLERGIES, THOUGH, DID YOU KNOW
THAT THERE ARE MALE AND FEMALE
CEDAR TREES AND FEMALE CEDARS
ONLY DISTINGUISHABLE BY THEIR
JUNIOR FOR BERRIES PRODUCED
NO POLLEN IN NO ALLERGIES
WHATSOEVER.
>> THAT’S THE FAULT OF THE MALE
MOUNTAIN CEDAR TREES NOW, EVERY
DECEMBER THROUGH MID FEBRUARY.
>> THE MALE MOUNTAIN CEDAR
TREES PRODUCE THESE CONES WHICH
HAVE INSIDE OF THEM LOTS AND
LOTS OF POLLEN. NOW THOSE CONES
WILL OPEN UP WHEN WEATHER
CONDITIONS ARE RIGHT. AND THE
WIND.
ALL OF THAT POLLEN TO THE
WAITING FEMALE MOUNTAIN CEDAR
TREES AND UNFORTUNATELY TO OUR
EYES AND SCIENCES AS WELL.
>> THERE ARE OVER 35 MILLION
TIMES OF CEDAR TREES IN THE
TEXAS HILL COUNTRY. THE TEXAS
ANM FOREST SERVICE TRACK THE
STREETS BY WEIGHT. THEY SPIT
OUT POLLEN FOR NEARLY 2 MONTHS
REACHING A PEAK OF 20 TO 32,000
FALLEN GRAINS PER CUBIC METER
OF AIR OR ROUGHLY A 3 FOOT BY
3 FOOT SPACE. SO IT’S NO WONDER
THAT MANY GROW TO SHAPE THE
MOUNTAIN. CEDAR AND DREADED
POT. PERHAPS IT’S TIME TO READ
THAT HELPED INSPIRE MYTHS ABOUT
NOW SEE HER. LET’S DO SOME THE
♪
>> THIS IS FALSE MOUNTAIN.
CEDAR TREES ARE NATIVE TO
CENTRAL TEXAS. WE HAVE
GEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF THEM
BEING HERE FOR A VERY LONG
TIME. IN THE PAST. PEOPLE
AROUND THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY.
HAVE YOU CEDARWOOD AS A NATURAL
RESOURCE BUILDING FENCES AND
OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE. IF YOU
LOOK AT SOME OF THE OLD PIER
AND BEAM HOUSES, YOU CAN STILL
SEE THE CEDAR POSTS THAT ARE
SUPPORTING THOSE HOUSES.
THAT BEING SAID FOR LAND
MANAGEMENT IN THE PAST 70 YEARS
OR SO HAS LED TO A GENERAL
INCREASE IN ALL TREES ACROSS
THE COUNTRY.
>> THIS INCLUDES BOTH OAKS,
THE ENGINE, BUT IT’S THE CEDARS
THAT SPROUT QUICKLY. WHENEVER
YOU TAKE EVERYTHING OUT AT ONE
OF THE FIRST THINGS TO REALLY
GROW AND IT’S NOT QUICK
REGROWTH, THE CEDARS THAT HAS
LED TO THE BELIEF THAT THE
TREES INVASIVE. BUT WHEN YOU
BREAK IT DOWN MOUNTAIN CEDAR
TREES ARE UNDOUBTEDLY NATIVE TO
CENTRAL TEXAS. IT’S BEEN HERE
FOR 10’S OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
>> IT WILL BE HERE FOR MUCH
LONGER. I’M SURE.
♪
>> THIS MYTH COMES FROM THE
BELIEF THAT CEDAR TREES USE
MORE WATER THAN OTHER TREES
ACROSS THE HILL COUNTRY.
BUT RECENT RESEARCH HAS PROOF
THAT THIS IS FOX. IT’S NOT TRUE
THAT THEY TAKE UP ANY MORE
WATER THAN ANY OF THE OTHER
VALUE TREES IN OUR AREA LIKE AN
OAK TREE. IT IS TRUE, HOWEVER,
THAT THE NEEDLES OR LEAVES OF
THE CEDAR TREES TRAPPED LIGHT
RAIN, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE TREES
ARE PACKED CLOSE TOGETHER WHEN
THEY GET IN SUCH DEBT STANDS AT
JUST BEEN DOESN’T ALLOW THAT
PERSON TO PATIENTS TO FILTER
DOWN INTO THE SOIL. BUT DURING
HEALTHY RAIN EVENTS, HEAVILY
FORESTED MOUNTAIN CEDAR CAN
ACTUALLY WRECKED, BRING WATER
INTO
THE ACT.
>> HOW NOT TO USE A LAYER OF
NEEDLES ON THE GROUND CAN
REALLY HELP TO RETAIN WATER ON
THE GROUND SOAK IN AND
INFILTRATE AS OPPOSED TO
RUNNING INTO CREEKS AND RIVERS.
WHERE MIGHT JUST GO AWAY AS
FLOOD WATER.
♪
>> WE’RE ONLY EXPOSED TO
MOUNTAIN CEDAR POLLEN FOR A FEW
WEEKS. EACH YEAR. THAT’S NOT
ENOUGH TIME FOR OUR BODIES TO
GET USED TO THE PESKY POLE.
SO PEOPLE DON’T NATURALLY
DEVELOP IMMUNITY SEAT ONCE
YOU’RE ALLERGIC AIR ALERT.
THIS ALL HAS TO DO WITH NEXT.
WE ARE GENETICALLY PREDISPOSED
TO OUR ALLERGIES. SO
UNFORTUNATELY, WE’RE LEFT TO
DEAL WITH THE MOUNTAIN. CEDAR
ALLERGY YEAR AFTER YEAR.
SOME PEOPLE SWEAR BY NATURAL
ALLERGY DROPS OR EVEN A
TEAMMATE AND A FEMALE MOUNTAIN
CEDAR. JUNIPER BERRIES.
>> WELL, THERE’S NO HARD
EVIDENCE THAT THESE NATURAL
REMEDIES WORK. IT MAKES YOU
FEEL BETTER. YOU KNOW, THAT’S
OKAY, TOO. WE KNOW THERE’S NO
HARM IN DOING THINGS. THE MOST
COMMON AND EFFECTIVE TREATMENT
FOR SEASONAL ALLERGIES OR
OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDICATIONS.
>> WHAT IF YOU JUST ARE TAKING
EVERYTHING WITH THE COUNTER AND
YOU JUST NOT FUNCTIONING WELL,
YOU CAN’T SLEEP. YOU CAN’T GO
TO WORK. AND I THINK IT’S, YOU
KNOW, IT RIGHT AWAY.
>> ALLERGISTS LIKE DOCTOR GILI
CAN BUY STEROIDS TO RELIEVE
SEVERE SYMPTOMS. DOCTORS CAN
ALSO PROVIDE THE ONLY PROOF IN
LONG-TERM WAY TO REDUCE A
SEVERE ALLERGIC REACTION.
ALLERGY SHOTS. THE SHOTS WORK
BY THE SENSE THAT I SING YOUR
IMMUNE SYSTEM.
THROUGH THE SHOTS. BUT
GRADUALLY INCREASING AMOUNT
OF POLLEN IS INTRODUCED INTO
THE BODY. THIS CREATES A
BLOCKING RESPONSE GIVING YOU
IMMUNITY AGAINST A SEVERE
ALLERGIC REACTION. AND HERE’S
SOME GOOD NEWS OUT OF THE SHOTS
ARE COVERED BY MOST INSURANCE
PROVIDERS, THOUGH IT IS BEST
FOR YOU TO START ALLERGY SHOTS
ONCE YOUR DEDUCTIBLE HAS BEEN
MET.
♪
MET. ♪ IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
IT IS LEGAL TO REMOVE CEDAR
TREES FROM YOUR PROPERTY.
AND YOU MAY WANT TO DO THIS FOR
VARIOUS REASONS. MAYBE YOU’D
RATHER HAVE ONLY OAKS AND YOUR
PROPERTY IF YOU JUST DON’T LIKE
THE LOOK OF CEDARS. BUT IF YOU
THINK A FEW CEDAR TREES ON YOUR
LAND OR CAUSE YOUR ALLERGY
ISSUES, REMEMBER, THERE ARE
THOUSANDS OF THEM AROUND AND
DEPENDING ON THE PREVAILING
WINDS THAT.
>> FOLLOWING THE STILL GOING
TO GET YOU TO LOVE THEM OR HATE
HIM. HE’S GOT TO LEARN TO LIVE
WITH TEXAS’S MOST HATED AND I
WOULD ARGUE MOST MISUNDERSTOOD
STREET. KSAT EXPLAINS.
METEOROLOGIST SARAH SPITE.
>> NOW MOUNTAIN CEDAR SEASON
USUALLY WRAPS UP BY VALENTINE’S
DAY. SO WE’RE ALMOST THERE SCAN
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