Tree Allergies

Tree allergies are a very common chronic disease that affects millions of people. It is the first type of seasonal allergic rhinitis to occur after the winter, followed by grass allergies and weed allergies. For those who have pollen allergy, the sneezing, stuffy nose, and watery eyes begins with tree pollen in the spring.

Trees are the largest plants in the world. For this reason, we look at them a little differently. We tend to think of them as being a little more permanent.

We are not as quick to cut down a tree in our yard as we might be to remove a shrub or other types of plants. They don't come and go in our home landscape as so many other plants do.

Trees are also different in another way from most living things. They are different in that they never stop growing as long as they live.

Tree Pollen Allergies

Having tree pollen allergies means that your immune system is reacting against the detection of tree pollen. Any type of nasal allergies is the body responding to a harmless substance (pollen) as harmful. The immune system releases histamine which is what produces the tree allergy symptoms.

For non-self substances that the immune system considers as harmful, it produces antibodies to combat "the foreign invaders." The IgE antibodies produced are very specific and made for a specific target. One type of IgE antibody is produced for oak pollen while another type will be produced for grass pollen.

When the immune system has made an ample supply of antibodies, they wait to detect the allergen on the mast cells. Mast cells are the cells that contain histamine and many other inflammatory chemicals. The antibodies signal to the mast cells to open and to release their inflammatory chemicals. These chemicals are what produce the symptoms for tree allergies that we suffer from during an allergic reaction.

The Season for Tree Allergies

Tree allergy season starts the pollen season in the spring. Once trees start producing pollen, there can be some type of pollen in the air until frost. Trees are the first plants that start producing pollen.

The exact time on the calendar for tree pollen production depends on the geographic location. The farther north you travel, the later the season begins. The south, for example, can begin tree pollen production in January. Trees in the far northern states may not start producing pollen until May or June.

A guideline for approximate times of pollen production is listed below:

It is the length of daylight (and not temperature) that signals the trees to produce pollen or to loose their leaves.

Type your zip code into the box above, and click on "Enter", to find out the pollen count for your area.

Symptoms

Symptoms for tree allergies are is the same for other types of airborne allergens. The symptoms will occur in the eyes, nose, and mouth area. Tree pollen symptoms can consist of

• sneezing
• runny nose
• congestion/stuffiness
• allergic conjunctivitis
• red, tearing, itch eyes
• scratchy throat
• coughing
• drainage in the back of the throat (post nasal drip)
• irritability

Symptoms can be affected by the amount of pollen exposure. Having the pollen producing trees in your own yard can increase the concentration of pollen exposure leading to more severe tree pollen allergy symptoms.

Symptoms can also be affected by the type of species that is causing the allergic reaction. Some trees are prolific producers of pollen while others do not produce as much. The degree of potency of the pollen can also differ from species to species and have an impact on the severity of the symptoms.

At the same time, the severity or mildness of the symptoms can be determined by the immune system. There are different degrees of sensitivity with those who have tree allergies.

Tree Pollen

Pollen is what trees produce that allergy sufferers breathe in and cause hay fever symptoms. Pollen is made by the male part of the tree. The job of pollen is to find the female part of the tree for reproduction to occur. The tree uses the wind to accomplish this. In some cases, the female part can be found on the same tree. In other cases, the pollen needs to find another tree for fertilization to occur.

The pollen in the air for people to breathe in can be influenced by several factors.

1. The aerodynamic characteristics along with the size and weight of the pollen can make a difference on how long the pollen stays airborne. On one side, ragweed allergy pollen is extremely small and light weight and can remain airborne for days and travel hundreds of miles. On the other hand, some species of trees produce a heavier pollen and the pollen falls to the ground close to the source.
2. The type of winter can influence pollen production. A mild winter or severe winter can both have an impact on the pollen production. Trees can produce different amounts of pollen from year to year.
3. Weather can have an influence on pollen production and the release of pollen. To take advantage of the aerodynamic characteristics of pollen and to be able to catch wind currents, the pollen needs to by dry. Windy days or calm days impacts the amount of pollen that is released. Rain and damp weather inhibits the release of pollen. Morning dew inhibits the release of pollen. Usually, pollen is released after the sun comes up and dries out the dampness.

Trees that Cause Allergies

Of all the species of trees in the world, only a small percentage cause tree allergies. But of those that do, the pollen may be very allergenic. Hay fever symptoms can be compounded be the abundant quantity of pollen released. For example, some species of oak are known to release all of their pollen in under a week.

There are some species of trees that fall into the monoecious category. Monoecious comes from the Greek word meaning "one household." Under this category, male and female flowers can be found on the same plant. Mother nature uses wind to get the pollen from the male flower to the female part on the same tree.

There are other species of trees that fall into the dioecious category. Dioecious comes from the Greek word meaning "two households." Under this category, male and female flowers are found on different plants. The tree contains all male flowers or all female flowers. Wind is used to get the pollen from the male tree to another tree containing the female flower.

Not many people know that a tree can be a male tree or a female tree. Male trees produce the pollen. They do not produce fruit or seeds. Landscapers have often thought that they are good for the landscape because they don't make a mess on the ground to clean up or drop debris onto cars. This may be true however, these trees in neighborhoods make it difficult for those who have tree allergies.

Below is a partial list of trees that are know to cause an allergic reaction in those who suffer from tree allergies.

Dioecious males are the worse kind of trees to plant for those who have a tree allergies because they are heavy producers of pollen. Planting dioecious females are better for the allergy suffer because of no pollen production. Monoecious trees still produce pollen even though the female flower is on the same tree. The wind doesn't know that it doesn't have to carry the pollen very far.

Testing for Allergies

If you get the same allergic symptoms each spring during the same weeks on the calendar, you may want to be tested for allergies. A simple skin test performed by an allergist can determine what you are allergic to. Many people can become allergic to several species of trees Furthermore, people with tree allergies are often allergic to other types of airborne allergens.

Once you know what species of trees you are allergic to, you can begin to learn what those trees looks like. You can learn if those trees are in your yard or in your neighbors yard. My family, who is allergic to ragweed, did not know what the ragweed plant looked like until I showed them. They are amazed at how they now see it growing everywhere. Likewise, you'll always see and recognize the tree that you are allergic to.

Avoidance

Many people have tree allergies and know it. They even know what trees that they are allergic to. But for some reason, they accept having this condition. They live with the symptoms and accept the lower quality of life that accompanies it.

It doesn't have to be this way.

There are many avoidance strategies, tips, techniques and environmental controls that can be used to minimize the life style of medication use. There is hope to minimize the unpleasant and annoying condition that tree allergy brings. You just have to want to. If you are allergic to pollen, click on Pollen Avoidance to learn more.

For those who are allergic to more than just pollen, read the following articles to learn what my family has learned.

Practicing avoidance is non-invasive and the natural approach to improved health. Reducing the symptoms improve the quality of our health with no side effects. It is a strategy that eliminates the allergic reaction as opposed to just suppressing the symptoms once the immune system tries to respond.

Pollen is a very difficult allergen to avoid because it is all around us. That doesn't mean, however, that it has to control our lives.

Click on tree allergies to go to the USDA government website to learn more about the plants that are causing you problems.

Go to the avoid-nasal-allergies home page.

Back to Top