Over 300 million trees perished in the Texas drought of 2011. According the surveys completed by the Texas A&M Forest Service, the area comprising Harris County (greater Houston), Montgomery County (The Woodlands, Magnolia and Conroe), and Walker County (Huntsville), lost 18.8 million. That is a significant number considering that a large portion of this area is urban, and the suburban areas are also highly populated and highly developed.

Loblolly Tree Removal and Replenishing a Community Effort

Local residents have wasted no time in replanting efforts, with townships like The Woodlands committing to plant “at least two times the number of trees that we remove” through what they have termed their “hazard tree removal initiative.” Being part of the piney woods region of Texas, named for the thick forest consisting of the loblolly pine that makes up this region, it is one of the varieties of tree that we have lost in abundance. The need to replenish all those pine trees that have died and been removed is important, even though it proved to be so fragile to drought. However, the event of drought does hit this region hard precisely because it is so rare and the ecosystem is not inclined to it. Normally, around here things stay pretty wet. Contact our tree removal service today for more information.

Loblolly: Marshy Wetland

The word “Loblolly” is a coined word that literally means, “thick gruel,” a term meant to connote the state of the marshy wetlands the Europeans found as they explored America’s coastal South terrain (‘lob’ is a term once used to describe thick bubbling porridge as it cooks, ‘lolly’ was a generic term for any soup-like gruel you might find boiling in a pot). They found this particular type of evergreen conifer always growing in regions with marshes and mires. And true to its indigenous realm, the Loblolly pine loves to have wet soil. Consequently, the 2011 drought was especially cruel to them. However, droughts like that happen once in a century. Otherwise, this tree absolutely thrives here. The longleaf Loblolly Pine that is particularly common here  is the reason why this region of Texas was an early resource for the fabulous lumber. However, this variety of conifer offers more merits than mere lumber.

The longleaf Loblolly pine is an exceptional variety of tree for your landscape.  It is a fast-growing tree, and it has a good tolerance for growing in a range of soil types. In spite of what one might think after the 2011 heat wave, the Loblolly may prefer it wet  but can tolerate a decent amount of drought, too. They are a low maintenance tree on the whole, and while thy can be susceptible to a variety of insects like the pine bark beetle, insect infestation is more of an issue in forests where there is a higher density of trees. The Loblolly grows very tall—up to 100 feet—and with plenty of light and space it can be a majestic addition to your landscape. Contact our tree planters today for a Loblolly pine of your own!

So while its name may mean ‘murky,’ among trees the longleaf Loblolly pine is mighty.