Drought effects

The drought is having varying effects on trees depending on the species and their tolerance for extreme conditions. Above: The silhouette of a giant pecan tree (Carya illinoinensis) with the setting sun. . . in Mississippi.



Pecans are ubiquitous in the Deep South. . . and we don't really give them much thought. . . until one falls and almost smashes all the cars parked in the yard. While on a recent visit in Mississippi a neighbor's pecan tree lost a massive limb that I estimated to be 60-feet long (18.3 meters). It narrowly missed my truck. Above, you cannot see the truck in the carport for all the tree on the ground.



We were up late chatting on a very hot and dry evening when we heard a large crash. When we went outside we found pecan tree everywhere. Below, the truck is barely visible in the carport.



The tree took down the power and cable lines . . . so when the crews came to put them back up I was chatting with them about what might have befallen this massive tree. They told me that it wasn't the first large tree that had fallen over for no apparent reason due to the extreme dry conditions being experienced in Central Mississippi this year.



Below: Closer inspection revealed this was only a branch off of the tree. . .albeit a branch with a diameter of about 6' (1.8 meters).



The pecan is generally considered a very sturdy tree. . . a member of the Walnut family (Juglandaceae) and the Hickory genus (Carya Nutt.)



These images are proof that the trees do have their limits.



As the crews replaced the power lines we reminisced about spending the evening of August 17, 1969 in this house with pecans pounding the aluminum siding as Hurricane Camille passed over. Why we happened to be in the path of one of the century's worst hurricanes is a long story. . . but we all remembered that the pecan trees stood. . . though in the morning after the storm had passed they were stripped clean of all their leaves.



The tree that shed its limb was standing that night in 1969 and probably 50 years prior. I would estimate it to be about 100 years old. Pecan trees are said to live and produce edible nuts for 300 years and more.



The word "pecan" comes from the Algonquian word meaning "a nut requiring a stone to crack." In Mexico, pecans and walnuts share the same Spanish name, "nuez," which is a cognate of the English word 'nut.'



Above: Power line parts on the ground.



Above: The truck only got a few new scratches. That's one tough old house.



Above: The truck hidden behind tree and power lines.



Meanwhile back in Florida I've noticed that after many years the red cedars (Juniperus virginiana) are sprouting everywhere. In a natural environment fire would cause their seeds to germinate. As we suppress fire they do not propagate regularly. Our current extremely hot and dry weather mimics fire conditions that would cause the cedars to sprout. . . and they do. . .

Here (above and below). . .little saplings in the cracks of the sidewalk around one of the ponds. I've been digging them up and putting them in pots. This is one of my favorite trees. I'm hoping I can get them to survive where I want them to. They are evergreen and grow to 50 feet (15.2 meters) in an oval, columnar, or pyramidal form (and very dense) . . .spreading 8 to 15 feet (2.5 - 4.5 meters) when given a sunny location. This is a perfect tree to screen out unwanted neighbors.



One should not plant these trees near where they are attempting to grow apple species as the Junipers carry several rust diseases . . .the most common being cedar-apple rust. The disease is more serious on apple trees than on the juniper. . . so it is recommended to keep the junipers 1/2 mile (.8 kilometer) away from any apple plantings. (e.g. Malus domestica)