In a rainy year the trees produce tons, and the pollen count, the Richter scale of allergy, goes through the roof. The trouble with cutting down the cedars is that it would be ecologically unwise, not to mention impossible. Physically and philosophically, cedar defines Central Texas. You can no more think of that terrain without cedar than without live oak or limestone. Sentimentalists would also insist that the resinous aroma of cedar-wood campfire on a starry autumn night is one of the things that makes life worth living.
Sentimentalism scores no points with allergy sufferers, though.
What they want is relief. Temporary palliatives include the usual antihistamines and decongestants, plus a sodium cromolyn spray that has been used with good effect in England. Truly wretched cases may qualify for cortisone, but the drug's side effects make it a last resort. But the one thing cedar fever victims can't do is escape their destiny. Those who are fated to develop symptoms usually do so after a couple of seasons, but some have been smitten after ten, even twenty smug years.