Cedar Fever Season Begins In Texas

COLLEGE STATION, Texas: It’s time for Texans to brace themselves for cedar fever season once again, complete with runny noses, itchy eyes, and general misery. Cedar fever is an allergic reaction to the pollen released by mountain cedar trees, and unfortunately, you don’t have to be allergic to the pollen for it to affect you.

In Texas, the predominant species of mountain cedar is Ashe juniper, making cedar fever incredibly irritating in the Hill Country west of I-35. That is where there are primarily juniper trees mixed in with oaks and a few other species.

“With the quantity and density of Ashe junipers in Central Texas, all producing pollen at the same time, the pollen concentration in the air causes cedar fever,” said Jonathan Motsinger, Texas A&M Forest Service Central Texas Operations Department Head.

According to Motsinger, the pollen from Ashe junipers isn’t particularly allergenic or harmful – it’s just so concentrated that, even if you aren’t generally susceptible to allergies, it could still affect you. With millions of juniper trees releasing pollen simultaneously, you can’t help but breathe it in, and when you do, your body reacts as it would to any perceived threat – it tries to fight it.

Since the pollen is spread by wind, cedar fever can affect individuals far removed from areas with a high concentration of juniper trees. And the source isn’t limited to Ashe junipers. In more eastern parts of the state, eastern redcedars pollinate around the same time and can induce a similar response from people’s auto-immune systems.

Besides the massive quantity of pollen released, cedar fever is also problematic because of when the pollen is released. Most trees pollinate in the spring when many expect to have allergies. Ragweed pollen and mold spores can contribute to allergies in the fall, but very few plants pollinate during the winter. Juniper trees are the exception.

These trees typically begin producing pollen in mid-December, often triggered by colder weather or the passage of a cold front—pollen production peaks in mid-January before slowly tapering off toward the beginning of March.

“During cold fronts, it gets scorched and windy, and the pressure changes rapidly,” said Motsinger. “This triggers the opening of pollen cones and the release of the pollen grains. When the conditions are right, you can see the pollen blowing off some trees.”

While this creates fascinating imagery, it can also lead to profound misery. For people new to the Central Texas region or unfamiliar with cedar fever, it can also lead to confusion since the pollination period of mountain cedar trees is smack dab in the middle of cold and flu season. It’s not uncommon for people experiencing cedar fever to mistake their symptoms for a cold or the seasonal flu, especially given the variety of symptoms triggered by cedar fever. These include fatigue, sore throat, runny nose, partial loss of smell, and – believe it or not – some people do run a slight fever. However, if your fever is higher than 101.5°F, then pollen likely isn’t the cause.

You can treat cedar fever by taking allergy medications and antihistamines, but you should consult your physician or health care professional before taking new medications. You can also anticipate the pollen by tuning in to your local news station, many of which will give you the pollen count and can predict when it will be a particularly pollen-heavy day. On those days, it’s wise to keep windows and doors closed and limit the time you spend outdoors. It can also be helpful to change air filters in your car, and your home as a clean, new filter is better at removing particles, like pollen, from the air.

Removing juniper trees from your property isn’t recommended because the pollen is airborne, and—since they often wait to release their pollen until it’s cold, dry, and windy, it can blow for miles. It’s also important to note that only male juniper trees release pollen.

“The male trees have larger pollen cones, while the female trees have much smaller reproductive cones, which are very inconspicuous, but that’s what the male trees pollinate,” said Motsinger.

While junipers are notorious for releasing their fever-inducing allergens, they also have immense health benefits. Their berries, for instance, are used to make medicines and oils that can treat various ailments, from an upset stomach to a snake bite. They are also high in vitamins, providing a nutritious food source for birds and other wildlife. Additionally, junipers play a vital role in soil enrichment and erosion prevention as they often grow in a terrain that isn’t particularly hospitable to other species of trees. Most importantly, though, they provide the same mental, physical, and environmental health benefits as trees and forests everywhere. Ultimately, mountain cedars are only singled out for the unusual time of year they pollinate.

“Many trees rely on airborne pollination,” said Motsinger. “In other parts of the country, folks suffer pine or elm allergies. In springtime, so much oak pollen is collecting on surfaces that I have to wash my car’s windshield daily to see out of it.”

While cedar fever might sound and seem particularly hostile, Ashe junipers are just a species like any other, feeling out the conditions and waiting for the perfect moment to release their pollen to set their offspring up for success come springtime.

For more information about identifying Ashe junipers or eastern redcedars in your backyard, check out the Texas A&M Forest Service’s Texas Tree ID webpage or the My Tree ID mobile app. You can also see the distribution of junipers, as well as a variety of other tree species across the state, via our Forest Distribution App.