Allergies and Tree Selections Many people wonder why so many people today seem to have
allergies. It seems that more people today than 50 years ago are
suffering. I know of a school that can not have peanut butter
present because one child could suffer life a threatening
reaction if exposed to peanut butter. Could our trees that we
are planting also be a cause? There has been changes in our
urban and rural tree planting to adjust for such plant deseases
as the Dutch Elm Disease. Our elm trees which were very common
in the landscape has all but disappeared. This tree had little
air born pollen because this tree is mostly pollinated by
insects. (Elms have both male and female flowers present on each
tree.) Thus elms can cause less allergy problems for people.
Since 1949 our USDA, through its yearbook, has recommended trees
which are males because they are less messy. No acorns and no
fruit but alas more pollen. So what is recommended as suitable
for urban plantings does effect the total amount of pollen in
the air. Selections should be made with pollen production in
mind. Trees with high pollen production should be kept out of
urban planting if possible. This is even more important in high
density urban areas such as schools, nursing homes, hospitals,
and as street trees in downtown areas. Trees with high pollen
production should never be near fresh air ducts for buildings.
Municipalities should incorporate pollen production of trees
into land use regulations. Lists of trees that are allowed in
land use plans should reflect good health factors for our
communities. Think of all the law suits that could be derived as
a result of poor planning. Best Trees to Plant Female Ash Trees Female Red Maple Trees
Female Red Locust Trees Double Flowering Cherry Trees Good Trees to Plant Flowering Pears and Plums Pines and Spruces
Dogwoods Poor Trees to Plant Male Ash Trees Male Mullberry Trees Male
Red Maple Male Junipers Red Oak Trees See more articles by B Hirst at the farm web site
http://www.seedlingsrus.com or http://www.zone5trees.com
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