So far this year — setting aside the January freezes — our weather has been dominated by breezy, dry cold fronts, each one stirring up cedar, aka Ashe juniper, pollen as it sweeps through.
Austin, TX
Cedar fever is happening in Central Texas but what does that mean?
Ashe juniper trees blow in the wind at Mary Moore Searight Metropolitan Park in Austin on Jan. 14, during a period of high cedar pollen concentration in the air.
We are in the middle of cedar fever season: The time of year when pollen from trees scientifically known as Juniperus ashei, fills the air, invades our sinuses and triggers allergy symptoms for many across Central Texas.
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CEDAR FEVER: Can you become immune to cedar pollen?
This isn’t surprising because the Edwards Plateau, or the Texas Hill Country, is home to 24 million acres of Ashe juniper trees, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. They’re spread across a broad swath of Texas, from the Red River to the Rio Grande, including the Hill Country west of Interstate 35, where junipers grow alongside live oaks.
Regions in Texas where juniper trees are at least 1 inch in diameter or larger. The highest concentration is over the Texas Hill Country.
These trees typically begin producing pollen in mid-December, triggered by chilly weather. When a cold front moves into the region, air pressure drops, humidity decreases, and the pollen cones on the trees open. Gusty winds behind the front then lift the fine, lightweight pollen, allowing it to float and travel for miles away from its original source. That’s why cedar can affect many Texans who don’t live near large concentrations of juniper trees.
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“Cedar fever is irritating to many due to the quantity and density of Ashe junipers in Central Texas that all produce pollen at the same time, which leads to a high concentration of pollen in the air,” said Robert Edmonson, Texas A&M Forest Service Biologist, and ISA Certified Arborist.
How can I manage cedar fever?
If you’re new to Texas or unfamiliar with “cedar fever,” it can be confusing because it coincides with the peak of cold and flu season. Cedar fever symptoms, such as fatigue, sore throat, runny nose, itchy eyes, partial loss of smell, and a slight increase in body temperature, closely resemble those of a cold. However, if your fever exceeds 101.5 degrees then pollen is not the cause, and you’d need to seek medical attention.
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Robert Butler, an ear, nose and throat specialist at Austin ENT Clinic, said there are several options for treating or managing cedar allergies:
- Minimize exposure to cedar pollen by traveling or staying indoors when possible.
- Use air filters and purifiers in your home and car to reduce pollen levels.
- Use saline rinses for sinus relief.
- Manage allergic reactions with antihistamines and nasal steroids.
- Explore allergy testing and immunotherapy to block reactions to pollen, mold, or dust.
When the immune system mistakenly identifies benign substances such as pollen as harmful invaders, the body releases chemicals like histamine that cause allergic reactions such as sneezing, a runny nose, itchy eyes and congestion.
“The old saying, ‘if it itches then it’s allergy’ is fairly accurate,” Butler said. “Viruses will wane over 10 days while allergies will usually worsen as a season progresses and (illness) peaks two to four weeks after it starts.”
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Are cedar trees good for Texas?
While Texans often grumble about the problems these trees cause, they do have their benefits. Mature trees provide shade, shelter, and food for wildlife, and early settlers relied on their strong, rot-resistant wood to build fences that could last 50 to 100 years. Spanish settlers also used the wood for roof beams in missions across Central Texas.
Beyond providing food and shelter, these trees have long served other purposes as well. Native American tribes used the limbs, leaves, and berries for medicinal purposes like treating anemia as a blood tonic, easing childbirth and postpartum pain, and helping relieve symptoms of the common cold, flu, and other ailments. The berries are still used today to flavor gin, as a pepper substitute in cooking, and as an essential oil ingredient in products like hand sanitizers.
Ashe juniper allergy season coincides with meteorological winter, starting in December and lasting into February.
These trees also play a significant role in land management because they can thrive in a wide range of environments, including overgrazed areas and rocky terrain. That adaptability is a big reason Ashe junipers have flourished and become one of the most widespread trees in the Texas Hill Country.
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How long does the season last?
Central Texans are in for at least three more weeks of cedar allergies before spring brings a whole new wave of pollen from budding and flowering trees.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — As flood threats continue across parts of South Central Texas, Austin Pets Alive! has activated emergency response efforts to support animal shelters affected by the inclement weather.
In a social media post, APA! wrote, “We began offering aid last night, working to secure fosters for 10 dogs in the Castroville shelter, an open-air shelter that sits at the bottom of a valley.”
APA! said the situation escalated overnight with additional shelters reporting flooding. One shelter confirmed that floodwaters reached its facility, APA! added.
Communities overwhelmed due to weather include Uvalde, Castroville and Sabinal.
The nonprofit is asking the Austin community to foster, adopt or donate to free up capacity for animals displaced by the disaster. APA! needs to clear out its facilities to assist the animals in need of shelter.
Here are ways you can help:
- Adopt: APA! is offering a “Name Your Own Adoption Fee” on all animals.
- Foster: The shelter is seeking foster homes for a minimum of three weeks.
- Donate: Proceeds will fund vans and response teams setting up a staging and triage center at the heart of the disaster zone, along with an expanded stockpile of preventatives, PPE and additional supplies.
If you would like to donate, click here.
AUSTIN, Texas — With heavy rain expected across parts of Central Texas this week and flooding top of mind, the city of Austin is proposing to put more money toward flood mitigation improvements in next year’s budget.
The proposal would invest in new flood infrastructure, add staff, and help move flood mitigation projects forward, according to city leaders. Austin City Councilmember Ryan Alter said the investments are aimed at keeping the city prepared for future flooding.
Residents who live near waterways say they have seen how quickly conditions can change. David Haderspeck, who lives near Shoal Creek, said the creek “fills up pretty fast” and “gets a lot higher than you’d expect.” He said he has watched the water rise dramatically after rain.
“I’ve seen it come up probably 10 to 15 feet to the ordinary high-water mark,” he said.
This week, parts of Central Texas, including the Hill Country, are expected to get heavy downpours. While Austin is not expecting the same impacts as parts of the Hill Country, leaders said the city is using this year’s budget planning to continue investing in flood safety.
Alter said the city has the expertise to address flooding risks but needs to follow through on projects.
ALSO| Central Texas urged to prepare as heavy rainfall sits in forecast over next two days
“We have the experts. We just have to put the plans into practice, and that’s what we’re doing in this budget,” he said.
Under the budget proposal, the city would provide about $134.5 million for the Drainage Utility Fund, which helps pay for flood mitigation, drainage infrastructure and watershed protection efforts.
Alter said the proposal would shift more of the funding balance toward building new infrastructure.
“What we’re going to do is shift that balance a little bit more to building new infrastructure so that when we do have large flooding events, we’ve got that infrastructure in place to keep people safe,” he said.
The proposal also adds staff and invests in both new and existing flood mitigation projects across the city.
Asked whether the proposed investments would be enough moving forward, Alter said, “I do…I think we’re doing the right thing and just making sure that our residents have the infrastructure to stay safe.”
Alter said heavy rain cannot be prevented, but the city’s goal is to have infrastructure in place to help keep people safe when it happens.
FILE – LinkedIn logos are displayed on an iPhone and computer screen. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Attorney General’s office has opened an investigation into LinkedIn over allegations that the professional networking platform misleads consumers with advertising and profiting from misleading or fake job listings, otherwise known as “ghost jobs.”
LinkedIn investigation
In this photo illustration a Linkedin logo seen displayed on a mobile phone. (Photo Illustration by Stanislav Kogiku/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
What we know:
Texas announced on Tuesday it has issued a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) seeking documents, data and internal communications related to LinkedIn’s advertising, marketing, job listing verification practices and its Premium subscription services.
The investigation centers on whether LinkedIn violated Texas’ consumer protection laws by promoting paid subscription services while allegedly failing to disclose that some job listings on the platform may not actually be representative of hiring opportunities.
What is a ‘ghost job’?
An image of a woman holding a cell phone in front of a LinkedIn logo displayed on a computer screen. On Tuesday, January 12, 2021, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Dig deeper:
LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft and the world’s largest professional networking platform, with more than 1 billion registered users worldwide.
A “ghost job” generally refers to a position advertised online that either is no longer available or that an employer has no immediate intention of filling. The attorney general’s office cited independent studies estimating that ghost jobs account for between one-fifth and one-third of online job postings.
Texas AG targets Premium Subscription Fees
Photographer: Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images
What they’re saying:
According to the office of the attorney general, LinkedIn does not independently verify the hiring status of most job listings on its platform. Ken Paxton’s office alleges that the company’s marketing for its Premium subscription services does not disclose that a significant number of postings could be inactive, unfilled or not reflect genuine employment opportunity.
“I will use every resource available to my office to help job-seeking Texans find and secure real employment opportunities,” Paxton said in a statement. “LinkedIn has a duty to provide the services it advertises and ensure that consumers paying for Premium subscriptions are receiving access to legitimate job postings.”
Texas officials said LinkedIn’s Premium Career and Premium Business subscriptions cost about $39.99 and $69.99 per month, respectively, and are marketed to jobseekers looking to improve their employment prospects.
What’s next:
The investigation does not include any formal allegations of wrongdoing, and no lawsuit has been filed.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
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