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Identify • Report • Control
This page is a Texas companion to our national guide: Invasive Tree Species (Weed Trees). Use it to confirm what’s considered invasive in Texas, verify identification, and find the most useful mapping and reporting tools.
Fast path: get photos → confirm ID → check inventories/maps → report → choose control + follow-up. The goal is to prevent spread (seeds and vegetative fragments) and avoid “cut-and-sprout” failures.
Jump to: quick links • common invasive trees • verify & report • control playbook • FAQs
Texas spans wetlands, pineywoods, prairies, hill country, and deserts — so invasive tree impacts vary by region. Use this hub to get quick ID cues, confirm what you’re seeing, and find Texas-specific reporting and control resources.
Snap a few photos (leaves, bark, seeds/flowers) + note location + habitat.
Cross-check with TexasInvasives / Texas A&M Forest Service resources before removal.
Avoid spreading seed; follow local guidance for herbicide timing and disposal.
Watch disturbed soils, waterways, right-of-ways, and edges of woodlands and pastures. Many invasive trees spread by birds, floods, mowing, and dumped yard waste.
Quick ID: heart-shaped leaves; “popcorn” white seeds; strong fall color.
Why it matters: forms dense stands and transforms habitats, especially in southeast Texas.
Texas A&M Forest Service profileQuick ID: large compound leaves; unpleasant odor when crushed; rapid clonal spread.
Why it matters: aggressive thickets; allelopathic effects; spreads easily along corridors.
TexasInvasives profileQuick ID: lacy compound leaves; lavender spring flowers; yellow berries persisting into winter.
Why it matters: bird-dispersed; can invade riparian areas and disturbed sites.
TexasInvasives profileQuick ID: feathery foliage; pink flower spikes; common along arid waterways.
Why it matters: alters riparian ecology and water availability; increases fire risk in some settings.
TPWD overviewQuick ID: evergreen to semi-evergreen; clusters of dark berries; dense shade-tolerant thickets.
Why it matters: suppresses understory regeneration along waterways and woodland edges.
Texas A&M Forest Service hubQuick ID: variable leaf shapes; fuzzy leaf texture; milky sap when cut.
Why it matters: spreads in disturbed urban areas and can form local monocultures.
Search TexasInvasives databaseHigh rainfall + floodplains = faster spread for species like Chinese tallow; prioritize riparian corridors and replanting with natives.
Watch urban escapees and creek lines; treat stumps/roots promptly to prevent resprouting.
Focus on greenbelts, parks, and disturbed edges; remove fruiting trees before birds spread seed.
Prioritize waterways and irrigation ditches; saltcedar control is often coordinated across landowners.
If you’re unsure, verify first — then report sightings using tools that help track spread. TexasInvasives.org hosts databases and mapping tools used by citizen scientists and professionals.
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