Concern grows in Conroe as drought-stricken tree pose safety hazards

From Swanette Smith’s kitchen table in Conroe’s Wroxton Estates neighborhood, she can see five large dead trees in neighboring yards that are victims of this summer’s drought. 

“I will miss them greatly when they are gone, but now they are a threat. I am losing landmarks. It’s as if a tornado went through and simply took them away,” she said. “Potential hurricanes or strong winds can blow trees over or cause dead limbs to fall. Is a neighbor’s house going to by threatened by your dead tree? We have a community issue developing that would behoove us to address now rather than later.” 

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She is not alone in her concern from the damage to local trees left from this summer’s drought paired with consistent 100-degree temperatures. 

According to Conroe officials and Conroe-based horticulture expert Michael Potter, the issue of dead trees from the drought and extreme heat is widespread across the area. 

Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport recorded 42 days of triple-digit highs prior to Sept. 10, Houston Chronicle Newsroom Meteorologist Justin Ballard reported.

Additionally, a heat dome parked over the region since early July, brought zero measurable rainfall at Bush Airport from July 7 through Aug. 23.

That 48-day stretch was the longest Houston has gone without rain since records began in 1889. Overall, only 0.12 inch of rain fell in Houston in the two months between July 7 and Sept. 8, Ballard reported. 

The two conditions came together to create extreme conditions for local trees not unlike the 2011 drought. 

Potter, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agent for horticulture in Montgomery County, said trees are still recovering from droughts in 2008 and 2011 as well as other extreme weather events like Hurricane Harvey which brought flooding in 2017. 

“These weather events have long-lasting effects especially in trees,” he said. “One hundred percent growth for a tree is 100 foot (in height). Because of droughts and floods, the same tree is only at 70-percent growth and it will never reach its full maturity. These compounding issues add up for trees.”

Potter said calls to the Montgomery County Master Gardener question line over the last three months have 70 percent been about homeowner’s lawns and 30 percent about tree and shrub concerns due to the drought. 

He said that once a tree starts to show signs of stress it may be too late. The Texas A&M Forest Service site offers tips for caring for trees during drought and identifying stress.

To determine if a tree is dead, he said look for dead branches, dry and brittle limbs and brown leaves still clinging on, but there are no green leaves. 

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He said it may be helpful to wait until spring before removing a tree because time will tell how and if the tree recovers. 

“On some of the smaller branches, take finger nail and scratch the soft bark to see if it still has some color, such as a creamy green or green,” he said. “If a branch is still pliable and still has moisture, then there’s signs of life. If breaks off, then it’s a dead branch.”

For now, he’s crossing his fingers for slow soaking rains this fall. He advises homeowners to also give their trees a slow soak with a hose. 

Conroe Director of Public Works Norm McGuire said city crews have removed 25 dead trees this year that impact city streets or city property compared to 31 dead-tree removals in 2022. 

He said the city also tracks tree-debris removal which is mostly generated by thunderstorms. 

“This activity will sometimes consist of both dead trees, but most commonly will be green waste (meaning the tree was alive and well). In 2022, we had 42 tree-debris removals versus 51 thus far for calendar year 2023,” he said. 

He advises homeowners looking to have a dead tree removed to contact a licensed tree professional. If the homeowner thinks their tree may be on city property or threatening to damage city property, he said they should contact the city at 936-522-3885.

For the removal of other dead yard debris, the city offers a bulk trash/debris collection program. There are four city zones with each zone assigned a Wednesday during the month for pickup. See the city’s bulk collection page for more details on what can and can’t be picked up. 

With Saturday marking the first calendar day of fall, Potter said it may be more difficult to spot the change of the seasons among the trees this year. 

“It may be hard year to tell exactly when the fall leaves turn this year,” he said. “Once our temps get into the low 80s in the day and maintain 60s in the evening, then we should see some of fall colors. In years like this though, we may not even have fall colors, the tree may go straight into dormancy for the winter.” 

For gardening and landscape questions, contact the Montgomery County Master Gardeners help line at 936-539-7824.