With that in mind, landowners should be mindful of the health of these trees. Shade trees are often times thought of as passive things in nature that will always be present. Trees not only provide beauty, color and a refreshing shade, they also improve the quality of our environment. Trees improve air quality by filtering dust, lowering energy demands by shading homes, providing barriers to noise, providing psychological benefits and enhancing landscapes. In addition to these values, that are often difficult to measure, trees add economic value that makes residential property more valuable.
Oaks are the major shade trees of Texas.
They are also major components of forests and rangelands. Oak trees of varying types dominate our area, adding beauty and value to our landscapes and country side. Oaks are normally long lived and possess the ability to withstand adverse weather and are normally considered disease resistant. Continued environmental stress and pathogens have allowed disease causing organisms or disease complexes to break down their resistance, thereby creating the need for special care and attention to assure our trees' good health. Parasitic plant growth on trees includes ball moss, lichens, Spanish moss and mistletoe.