Reforesting Jacob’s Well with new type of tree technology

The last few years have been challenging for Texas trees, with the Austin area's hottest summer on record, extended periods of drought and back-to-back years of winter ice storms.

TreeFolks, Central Texas’ urban forestry nonprofit, plants on average nearly 100,000 trees and saplings each year, and is working with Jacob’sWell Natural Area to pilot a new system aimed to more than triple survival rates among newly planted trees.

This spring TreeFolks planted 2.2 acres with almost 2,000 native and adapted tree species at Jacob’s Well. The varieties of trees include shade trees and fruiting and flowering species, including Pecan, Texas Mountain Laurel, Elderberry, and Honey Mesquite, in addition to the iconic Live Oak variety. These trees will improve the health of the floodplain area next to Cypress Creek, improving both the water quality and the overall ecosystem health of the riparian buffer zone.

The new Groasis Waterboxx captures rainwater and slowly releases extra water to the newly planted trees throughout the year. TreeFolks used 250 Groasis Waterboxxes at the Jacob’s Well site, with two trees in each box. Throughout the summer, staff will monitor the water levels in the boxes, and this fall, TreeFolks will determine if the new technology was able to bolster survival rates, and by how much. The Waterboxxes are designed to give trees just enough water to survive, but not so much that they depend on the box, forcing the tree roots to search deeper for water.

“We are very excited to try out this technique. Summers are getting hotter and drier, and it has taken a toll on trees throughout the region. If seedlings can survive their first summer, it is a great indicator of their ability to survive long-term. If the study is successful, it would be a game changer because we would be better able to control survival instead of depending on adequate rainfall each year after we plant,” Valerie Tamburri, Lead Arborist and Director of Reforestation at TreeFolks, said.

'This will truly help our restoration efforts at Jacob's Well for reforestation in the southern part of the park. I am really excited to see these newly planted trees grow over the next few years. We are grateful to Treefolks for offering this flood restoration program,” said Nina Leonard, Parks Specialist I.

This study is funded in part by a Texas Parks & Wildlife Habitat and Angler Access Program (HAAP) grant. This grant helped fund the purchase of Groasis Waterboxxes, trees, and wild grass and flower seeds for the TreeFolks Central Texas Floodplain Reforestation Program. Landowners interested in receiving Tree-Folks reforestation services can visit the TreeFolks website or email reforesta-tion@ treefolks.org.