How can I be Firewise and keep my trees?

Preparing your property for fire does not mean removing all your trees. There are many things you can do to make your home resistant from embers or fires that may involve simply removing overhanging branches or limbing trees up from the ground.

Remember that healthy, well-maintained trees on your property will provide many benefits and not necessarily pose a major risk for wildfire spread. Your site-specific risk depends on the species and arrangement of the trees. Contact Parker county Master Gardener office to get the name of our Firewise specialist or contact the Texas A&M Forest Service for additional information on creating a safer landscape. Also, in our Best Trees for Parker county section of the website trees to determine the best drought tolerant and most Firewise trees.

Please discuss native plants for Parker County. 

For best results, we recommend that you use plants that are native to our area, or have been proven to be adaptable to the soils and climate of Parker County. These plants will thrive with a reasonable amount of care, and will survive our worst conditions even with minimal attention.

We are building a house on property that has no trees. Can you recommend some fast growing trees that will shade the house?

There are important questions to consider before you start selecting trees. First, consider why there are no trees on the property. It may be that the land was cleared for pasture or farming, but it is also possible that conditions are not favorable for tree growth.

What is the best way to deal with broken tree branches from icy weather?

It is best to allow the damaged tree to thaw before attempting to work with it as your efforts may produce more damage. Do not attempt to remove ice by striking the branches. Trees are fairly brittle in winter; and with the added rigidity of the ice, you will break more branches than you will save.

The primary factor in your decision for dealing with the tree is safety. Is the tree damaged to the point that removing the limb is a hazardous task? If so, then you should consider hiring a Certified Arborist to help with the situation. Is it a tree that, by nature has weak branches? If the answers are yes, then the best decision may be to remove the tree.