That may be a utility easement. Would suck if crews couldn't get to a manhole to stop the crap from backing up into your house. And what's wrong with planting the trees inside your fence?
The only positive out of the two recent record cold temperature snaps (2021 & 2023) was it killed many ligustrums. Unfortunately...those fuckers zombied right back into existence!
Are those the tree looking plants that get as big as trees, then they eventually collapse under their own weight because they are plants? Had a bunch of those all along the back side of my property under the power poles, I think because the birds eat the berries and poop out the seeds when sitting on lines.
If you plant appropriate native trees in that space, such as live oak, red oak, post oak, ashe juniper, Texas Persimmon, Yaupons, Possumhaws, Texas redbud, cedar elm, ... they'll have a hard time claiming they didn't show up of their own accord, just saying.
Perhaps consider going to Native American seeds and getting a bag or two of one of their Texas shade wildflower mixes too while you're about it ;)
Did the city come out and clear it out after your house was built? Does it appear to be something like an easement for access or utilities?
Buy the smallest trees you can find. Buy a lot of them if you can find them cheap. I'm talking like 6 inches tall. Buy a mix of species, install them a few at a time to see if the city is going to cut them down. Plant a mix of species and don't put them in a straight line. Figure out good species to plant. Plant some fast growers, some slow growers. Don't be afraid to cull the losers after a few year.
If the small ones live, in a few years, they'll probably be bigger than trees you planted when taller.
Great question. I have this lot cross section screenshot if it helps. Never did find out what “1 reserve for row dedication” meant…
https://imgur.com/a/vbxJXon
That is land reserved for the road right-of-way (ROW) to expand from the temporary width to full boulevard width. You will someday be beside the edge of a road.
I would plant buffer trees in your yard so that they're full grown when the road is expanded.
It looks like the road is already 27' wide, would it ever come to pass that OP is right up against the road? Would be like I10 into Houston at that point, right?
Most jurisdictions are asking for 120' ROW or more for future roadway expansion (which is great, for all of us in the furute) and of course the curb/pavement won't be right against the property line as ROW also includes parkways outside the pavement.
But my guess is this future road is a collector on the City/County transportation plan, where they intend to have 2 lanes each direction with a large grassy median in the middle and sidewalks on the outside.
Based on this picture it looks like the property is likely still owned by the developer or HOA. The City likely does not own it but instead has required that no development go in there because there is a future city project planned there, likely road expansion (but it could be any number of things). You might want to reach out to your HOA and see if they would approve you planting trees there. I would also recommend sticking with native trees as that will go over much smother and they will fare better there without the need for irrigation.
Source: I used to be a City Engineer for a smaller central texas City and dealt with this kind of stuff all the time.
Thank you for this guidance. Based on what you’re seeing in the picture, do you find it likely or highly unlikely that any road expansion come near our actual home? The road seems quite a distance away… could that just as easily change due to bending the road completely differently than it is now and boom, it’s just a few feet from us? 😳
It looks like the developer is giving 27’ for ROW dedication and leaving the rest of that lot open since they couldn’t build another lot any closer for xyz city/county/state code reasons. If this is the two lane road near Slaughter I think it is, there should be a prelim engineering report coming out soon on the north section which includes your development, but the south section of the same road had a proposal out in 2020 for a 4 lane road with a median, bike lanes and sidewalks which would require a much larger right of way. It doesn’t look like that project has progressed since 2021 from what I checked, but my guess would be that your developer determined 27’ would be sufficient for whatever future road expansion was planned, including for the width proposed in the south proposal), so I wouldn’t worry about the road getting much closer unless it expands any more than what’s just being looked into right now.
As for your trees, like the previous reply said It’s really up to the HOA since that property is theirs now.
Source: Land development engineer who works on projects north of Austin
Hard to say how close the road would be at any point in the future. Likely the current plan for the ultimate build out of the ROW would leave at the very least 5 feet for sidewalk and 5 feet for landscaping outside of the road likely much more. So realistically 10 to 15 feet from your property line at an absolute minimum. Just depends on u the ultimate design plan for the road.
BUT, those plans could change at any point in the future to meet whatever need the city is trying to achieve at the time so the road could get closer or further based on need.
>reserve for row dedication
Probably a utility easement. Meaning anything planted there is at risk of being cut-down/dug up as needed.
EDIT: Row stands for "right-of-way". Almost definitely a utility easement.
ROW isn't typically for utilities, but surface use. I suspect they either plan to expand the roads or put an access trail there.
I just checked my survey and P.U.E. is used for public utility easement.
There's a row marked for alley space by my very close to downtown home but they never built the alley space and it's been absorbed by varying fences for yards.
They could always take it back and bust some fences but row can def mean surface pavement as well as utility
Since it's such a new build I'd just wait it out a bit or plant as cheaply as possible knowing you could lose it all
Super interesting. I do hope you’re onto something with possible road widening or trail. Either would be fine by us, currently the road is too wild (bumpy, narrow). Plans that are possible aren’t public, are they? Anything to lookup anywhere that might give hints?
There might be something in their GIS Web Map, [https://maps.austintexas.gov/GIS/PropertyProfile/](https://maps.austintexas.gov/GIS/PropertyProfile/), there's a "Change Visible Map Layers" button in the ribbon where you can toggle on/off the map layers.
The map is also interactive so you can click on features on the map and get more info.
That means there are plans for a future street extension through there. That looks a little familiar, are you in the northeast near Samsung Blvd? If you are, I know where you are and Travis County has planned arterial that will connect Samsung Blvd to 290.
Any larger sized tree grown in a pot will probably either have a stunted root system because the pot is not big enough for the tree. Often called "root bound." It's been said that half of the tree is underground.
The other option is that the tree was grown in the ground, then dug up and put in a pot, losing much of the root system.
Either way, the tree is crippled by an inadequate root system. It takes a while to catch up and may never really grow right because of that.
It may need a lot more watering because the root system is what "feeds" it fertilizer and water.
However, a newly planted small tree may need water at first until the roots get situated. It will become less water dependent more quickly than a bigger tree because the root system isn't feeding a top that's too big for it.
Yes most likely the only reason the city would clear this regularly is there is an easement reason.
OP, please don't plant trees without knowing what's underground or why the need to access that piece of land behind/adjacent, etc
GIS or your survey might be helpful but better not to assume.
The land is most likely reserved for future road expansion/sidewalk/bike lane construction. The Austin Strategic Mobility Plan is essentially a citywide summary of the city’s plans for ROW construction. You can look up your address and click on the road adjacent to it in this map here to see what they have planned: https://austin.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=2a3c539da76b4f49906a3524ed4a2cc9
This is the secret answer. If they become heritage trees then they won’t be allowed to remove them, and you’ll never end up with wider roads next to your house.
Whatever you do - DO NOT PLANT BRADFORD PEARS. I REPEAT, DO NOT PLANT BRADFORD PEARS. They’re fast growers and look all pretty until one day they just fall the fuck over. Sunny day, no wind. Just felt like dying one day.
I have a vendetta against them because builders love to plant them. Save yourself the trouble now.
Consider yourself lucky it just fell, most fester after 10 years and smell like a dead body until it finally falls over because it's rotted from the inside out. Just the most horrible smell you can't get rid of.
Just call the city arborist and ask, I-35 and Slaughter is no where near any greenbelts. The nearest one is Onion Creek Greenbelt east of there.
I know several people who have done the same thing.
The only restriction was the arborist had to approve the trees that planted. Wanted native trees.
Do you see how the power meter box, cable/internet lines and gas hook up are in the back of your house? That is because the utility easement is behind your house. That being said it is pretty rare that the easement is behind the fence line. It is usually about 3-5 inside the fence line.
Just know that if you do plant in the easement we can and will trim, cut down or chop the roots of anything we have to, to get to our lines.
Source 15+ year experience working on the lines that make the internet work.
Yeah it does, the easement is in the front then and there is very unlikely anything there as far as utilities go but you never know. Sometimes they run in unexpected ways to get to other areas. If it were me and I really wanted to do I’d give it a shot. Just be careful digging just in case.
If you’re digging, call 811 first or [use the Texas 811 website](https://texas811.org/). You shouldn’t hit any buried utilities unless you’re digging at least a foot deep but at least AT&T and Google Fiber both did a shoddy job of burying fiber in my yard, there are spots where you’ll hit fiber 2” down and it’s only that far down because I sort of fixed what they both half assed. Seriously makes me wonder if anyone in this town knows how to bury fiber, as my anecdotal experience is no one does.
I called 811 shortly after I bought my house just to have the underground utilities mapped so I knew where to avoid digging or know where to do so with caution. They ask where you’re planning on digging so they know where they need to be marking and I just put “potentially anywhere on the lot” and they marked everything.
u/friendlynverve regardless of the OP question putting in a request with 811 to get a mapping of your underground utilities is IMO a good idea. It’s free. [You can do it online here](https://txhop.texas811.org/). It won’t answer your question as to what’s off of your property, unless you get a line marked that leaves your property in that direction, but it’s good to know regardless. I then took a bunch of pictures and video walking the lines they marked with enough landmarks for reference and future use (edge of house, driveway, street, fence line, etc.) so I can reference that if I’m digging in the vicinity of buried utilities. The paint they use is designed to wash away and the flags will eventually blow away if you don’t remove them yourself so document as soon as everything is marked.
That looks like a pretty new house so hopefully the records are accurate, but also keep in mind it’s not uncommon to have things buried in places which don’t match records. I’ve seen construction sites with everything mapped out by 811 who then had a backhoe chop through major telecom lines where nothing was marked as buried. It’s not very likely on a residential lot especially in newish developments but worth keeping in mind if you’re doing serious digging.
Check to see if it's a utility easement. If it is, your trees will be cleared from time to time. If not, just plant them when no one's looking. Treefolks has a few sapling and small tree giveaways every year, although there are a few caveats. Maybe a good place to start?
Chances are the city doesn’t own that strip, it’s just an easement.
Plant away but don’t get upset if one day they disappear .
In the meantime plant some trees in your yard! We have a beautiful red oak in our backyard that we adore.
How would they even know you planted it?
I don’t understand why this is even a question. Even if they were perfectly aligned they’d have no way to tell it was you.
The silt fence is likely the right of way, so there is about 10' to 15' between your fence and the ROW. That is often a drainage easement for your lot or the neighborhood, either way, I'd plant the trees and see what happens.
We’re at the tail end of tree planting season, so right now your best bets would be the dry land set-it-and-forget-it species like huisache, Mexican buckeye, cedar elm, and Carolina buckthorn.
Your absolute best bet is to find all your planting material in late summer and plant it in mid fall once it starts getting chilly (mid winter? I dunno..). They should establish well given winter rainfall is a thing that year.
Send me a pm if you need help on sourcing
Plant agricultural hemp. It will be 15ft tall in a year. Use full deniability, or get licensed through the online program on the State of Texas Department of Agriculture website. Its super easy. The plants won’t require much care. They will reseed themselves and you can get all the free CBD you want. Although they definitely will attract attention, not just from the birds and the bees, but possibly pigs and deer too.
😂
Fair question! It’s just this particular side we had ideas to park equipment and/or generally need it passable with ease. If we plant privacy style trees they’re going to get super close to the house and it just causes some issues.
The answer is always to ask forgiveness not permission. Like some to the others said look for plants and trees native to the area not just some dumb palm tree
Some palms are at least native to Texas (Sabal mexicana, Sabal minor) but yeah, there are other native trees that might be more likely to survive in a neglected environment.
This appears to be a utility easement and more than likely has lines running underground (sewer, water, electricity, and/or telecomm). I would suggest planting smaller shrubs/bushes as tree roots could cause potential issues later on down the line and could also obstruct utility service/maintenance.
It’s probably easement. Event if they let them grow they might one day chop it all to the ground when they need to access some city owned infrastructure back there (drainage, underground utilities, etc)
https://www.treefolks.org/
is a place where each household can get 2 free trees. That are also a good resource for knowing what trees to plant.
When planting trees also plant native understory stuff and groundcover to discourage weeds.
Straight line. Unique species of tree not found in that area.
EDIT: I mean unless the other trees around there are common. I guess I assumed they were “trash” trees lol, maybe they’re cedar or something else you can easily find and plant. But that still leaves a very clear straight line that’s man made. Could randomize it… but…
Not sure where/what that is. But I assume there are rules/restrictions like this across all of Austin.
This particular area is south Austin, 35 and Slaughter.
I'm east too. I have a small farm on Thaxton rd. Is this part of Goodnight Ranch or Easton Park? How were you able to confirm this is city owned land?
Also, You don't have to worry about Balcones Canyon. Not in south east austin. Beyond the nature preserve, there are rules, but they are poorly enforced. I had a neighbor that was dumping construction waste on his property. I think his family owns a construction company. They were dumping 5-10 dump truck loads a day of dirt, and concrete, mixed with a little construction debris, a few shingles some broken plywood etc...
The city put a cease and desist letter on their gate that went completely ignored. After more than a year and several follow ups from me, the city eventually referred for prosecution (this is after multiple warnings to stop). I was told he would be forced to remediate, but all they did was fine him $1,000 dollars and give him a year of probation where he would have to pay a steeper fine if he ignored them during that time. His family probably made a couple hundred thousand with the amount of illegal dumping they did.
If the city doesn't have the time or energy to do a better job on the case I described, they are never going to bother to track you down and fine you for planting a few trees.
If you are a part of one of those new developments, make sure the land isn't owned by the development, if it is ask permission from the development. I could see an HOA being WAY more diligent on fines and remediation requirements than the city.
I'm of 2 minds about that (depends on the area), BUT I would at least agree that if the area has any kind of deer or rabbits, OP is likely to lose most or all of the small trees they plant, especially if they are unusual for the area, that they don't protect with a cage (which would of course draw attention). Even when a tree isn't tasty, animals may nibble off the leader just to double-check, and if it gets big enough, male deer can attack it just to mark territory. One time some critter noticed I had recently planted a Texas Nightshade and decided to dig it up just because f*ck that plant I guess. Or they get mowed, or overgrown by grass, or whatever. And, extra watering and plants that look healthy tend to attract more attention.
So, for OP: you do you, but at this point I'd mainly rather just pop a seed in the ground, and if it grows it grows.
P.S. don't plant any invasive species, or anything that might send suckers into your neighbors' yards, or anything with septic-clogging roots (read: cottonwood / willow).
The city owns it? Given the cities current problems, this seems like a really risky investment on your part. Sell you home before a homeless camp moves in, or watch your personal investment go underwater.
I know this comment is going to catch some downvotes, I’m not against the rights of the homeless. I think we need to be spending more resources to get them offf the streets and into housing and help. On an individual family investment basis though, a homeless camps affects on property values are undeniable.
moringa trees are edible/bees LOVE them and they can grow 14 feet in a year...seeds would do best started now, and then you can plant them in protected chicken wire cages to keep deer off (if thats a thing where you live). They don't survive frosts well (so no risk of invasiveness(, but they do survive drought! So its a great low-risk thing to do here in austin. r/guerillagardening would be happy to help you, too :)
Don’t ask just plant. Then if they chop them down, don’t complain.
This is the way
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Hey güey
Where were they going, without ever knowing the way!
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What trees? Those trees? Yeah someone must’ve planted them.
"Oh wow. These squirrels around here are industrious."
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Which way is the way?
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That may be a utility easement. Would suck if crews couldn't get to a manhole to stop the crap from backing up into your house. And what's wrong with planting the trees inside your fence?
This is not the way (although it may be the end result)
this is the way
I would say you can try to stop them from cutting them down, just remember the trees are gravy and you aren't entitled to them
Don't worry - you'll have ligurstrum, hackberry, and other assorted nuisance foliage sprouting up along that silt fence soon enough!
Good point. Don't be afraid to practice a little bit of discreet arborcide on the problematic species when they're tiny.
The only positive out of the two recent record cold temperature snaps (2021 & 2023) was it killed many ligustrums. Unfortunately...those fuckers zombied right back into existence!
I cleared almost 2 acres of those shits and they’re all coming back
Look into girdling. Takes longer but works better.
It's time to go all [Paul Stedman Cullen](https://apnews.com/article/0a7bdbe1a4350f04a9dee363097a69a3) on those suckers!
Are those the tree looking plants that get as big as trees, then they eventually collapse under their own weight because they are plants? Had a bunch of those all along the back side of my property under the power poles, I think because the birds eat the berries and poop out the seeds when sitting on lines.
Accurate. The challenge around here is keeping shit from growing, not planting shit.
This may not work if it keeps getting mowed. Just make a donut shape with wood chips and wait for nuisance foliage to sprout in the middle!
Just put some bamboo there.
Yup, in just a few years he'll have a bamboo privacy screen sprouting next to the window.
Yeeessss
If you plant appropriate native trees in that space, such as live oak, red oak, post oak, ashe juniper, Texas Persimmon, Yaupons, Possumhaws, Texas redbud, cedar elm, ... they'll have a hard time claiming they didn't show up of their own accord, just saying. Perhaps consider going to Native American seeds and getting a bag or two of one of their Texas shade wildflower mixes too while you're about it ;)
The wildflower center has a great shade seed mix too
I would skip the Ashe juniper.
Get some bluebonnets just in case. They can't touch those.
Except OP outed themselves on this sub and once GPT69 comes out then it will find this post and fuck up OPs life
Just don’t mulch and cut around the grass. Make it look natural.
Did the city come out and clear it out after your house was built? Does it appear to be something like an easement for access or utilities? Buy the smallest trees you can find. Buy a lot of them if you can find them cheap. I'm talking like 6 inches tall. Buy a mix of species, install them a few at a time to see if the city is going to cut them down. Plant a mix of species and don't put them in a straight line. Figure out good species to plant. Plant some fast growers, some slow growers. Don't be afraid to cull the losers after a few year. If the small ones live, in a few years, they'll probably be bigger than trees you planted when taller.
Great question. I have this lot cross section screenshot if it helps. Never did find out what “1 reserve for row dedication” meant… https://imgur.com/a/vbxJXon
That is land reserved for the road right-of-way (ROW) to expand from the temporary width to full boulevard width. You will someday be beside the edge of a road. I would plant buffer trees in your yard so that they're full grown when the road is expanded.
It looks like the road is already 27' wide, would it ever come to pass that OP is right up against the road? Would be like I10 into Houston at that point, right?
Most jurisdictions are asking for 120' ROW or more for future roadway expansion (which is great, for all of us in the furute) and of course the curb/pavement won't be right against the property line as ROW also includes parkways outside the pavement. But my guess is this future road is a collector on the City/County transportation plan, where they intend to have 2 lanes each direction with a large grassy median in the middle and sidewalks on the outside.
Based on this picture it looks like the property is likely still owned by the developer or HOA. The City likely does not own it but instead has required that no development go in there because there is a future city project planned there, likely road expansion (but it could be any number of things). You might want to reach out to your HOA and see if they would approve you planting trees there. I would also recommend sticking with native trees as that will go over much smother and they will fare better there without the need for irrigation. Source: I used to be a City Engineer for a smaller central texas City and dealt with this kind of stuff all the time.
Thank you for this guidance. Based on what you’re seeing in the picture, do you find it likely or highly unlikely that any road expansion come near our actual home? The road seems quite a distance away… could that just as easily change due to bending the road completely differently than it is now and boom, it’s just a few feet from us? 😳
It looks like the developer is giving 27’ for ROW dedication and leaving the rest of that lot open since they couldn’t build another lot any closer for xyz city/county/state code reasons. If this is the two lane road near Slaughter I think it is, there should be a prelim engineering report coming out soon on the north section which includes your development, but the south section of the same road had a proposal out in 2020 for a 4 lane road with a median, bike lanes and sidewalks which would require a much larger right of way. It doesn’t look like that project has progressed since 2021 from what I checked, but my guess would be that your developer determined 27’ would be sufficient for whatever future road expansion was planned, including for the width proposed in the south proposal), so I wouldn’t worry about the road getting much closer unless it expands any more than what’s just being looked into right now. As for your trees, like the previous reply said It’s really up to the HOA since that property is theirs now. Source: Land development engineer who works on projects north of Austin
Hard to say how close the road would be at any point in the future. Likely the current plan for the ultimate build out of the ROW would leave at the very least 5 feet for sidewalk and 5 feet for landscaping outside of the road likely much more. So realistically 10 to 15 feet from your property line at an absolute minimum. Just depends on u the ultimate design plan for the road. BUT, those plans could change at any point in the future to meet whatever need the city is trying to achieve at the time so the road could get closer or further based on need.
It will most likely expand eventually, but not all the way to your place
>reserve for row dedication Probably a utility easement. Meaning anything planted there is at risk of being cut-down/dug up as needed. EDIT: Row stands for "right-of-way". Almost definitely a utility easement.
ROW isn't typically for utilities, but surface use. I suspect they either plan to expand the roads or put an access trail there. I just checked my survey and P.U.E. is used for public utility easement.
There's a row marked for alley space by my very close to downtown home but they never built the alley space and it's been absorbed by varying fences for yards. They could always take it back and bust some fences but row can def mean surface pavement as well as utility Since it's such a new build I'd just wait it out a bit or plant as cheaply as possible knowing you could lose it all
Super interesting. I do hope you’re onto something with possible road widening or trail. Either would be fine by us, currently the road is too wild (bumpy, narrow). Plans that are possible aren’t public, are they? Anything to lookup anywhere that might give hints?
There might be something in their GIS Web Map, [https://maps.austintexas.gov/GIS/PropertyProfile/](https://maps.austintexas.gov/GIS/PropertyProfile/), there's a "Change Visible Map Layers" button in the ribbon where you can toggle on/off the map layers. The map is also interactive so you can click on features on the map and get more info.
Looks like the new I-35 and mopac expansions are going to go right through there
That means there are plans for a future street extension through there. That looks a little familiar, are you in the northeast near Samsung Blvd? If you are, I know where you are and Travis County has planned arterial that will connect Samsung Blvd to 290.
50' ROW possible just the sidewalk at the street. You in a 50' lot?
Go to a TreeFolks event where they hand out free, native trees. Bring a friend or two and you can end up with a bunch.
> If the small ones live, in a few years, they'll probably be bigger than trees you planted when taller. Why is that?
Any larger sized tree grown in a pot will probably either have a stunted root system because the pot is not big enough for the tree. Often called "root bound." It's been said that half of the tree is underground. The other option is that the tree was grown in the ground, then dug up and put in a pot, losing much of the root system. Either way, the tree is crippled by an inadequate root system. It takes a while to catch up and may never really grow right because of that. It may need a lot more watering because the root system is what "feeds" it fertilizer and water. However, a newly planted small tree may need water at first until the roots get situated. It will become less water dependent more quickly than a bigger tree because the root system isn't feeding a top that's too big for it.
Thanks for the explanation. I didn't realize. I just try to buy the biggest trees I can afford, I had no idea it could be worse even in the long run.
Plant them on your side.
An easement?
Yes most likely the only reason the city would clear this regularly is there is an easement reason. OP, please don't plant trees without knowing what's underground or why the need to access that piece of land behind/adjacent, etc GIS or your survey might be helpful but better not to assume.
Yup. 100% easement. City needs access to something. Whatever you plant, plan for it to disappear.
The land is most likely reserved for future road expansion/sidewalk/bike lane construction. The Austin Strategic Mobility Plan is essentially a citywide summary of the city’s plans for ROW construction. You can look up your address and click on the road adjacent to it in this map here to see what they have planned: https://austin.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=2a3c539da76b4f49906a3524ed4a2cc9
Just do it. When they eventually build a plaza or apartment complex there if they’re an issue they’ll just remove them.
And if they take too long to build those trees will become heritage trees and they won't be able to!
This is the secret answer. If they become heritage trees then they won’t be allowed to remove them, and you’ll never end up with wider roads next to your house.
Whatever you do - DO NOT PLANT BRADFORD PEARS. I REPEAT, DO NOT PLANT BRADFORD PEARS. They’re fast growers and look all pretty until one day they just fall the fuck over. Sunny day, no wind. Just felt like dying one day. I have a vendetta against them because builders love to plant them. Save yourself the trouble now.
Consider yourself lucky it just fell, most fester after 10 years and smell like a dead body until it finally falls over because it's rotted from the inside out. Just the most horrible smell you can't get rid of.
Yet another reason for them to BURN IN HELL. Fool’s Gold is what they are.
Just call the city arborist and ask, I-35 and Slaughter is no where near any greenbelts. The nearest one is Onion Creek Greenbelt east of there. I know several people who have done the same thing. The only restriction was the arborist had to approve the trees that planted. Wanted native trees.
Thank you! I honestly should have known there was a specific office/person for this. Will hunt down a name/number.
Give 811 a call too to make sure there aren’t any utilities buried there (or planned)
Good catch, I didn't even think of utilities right of way
Do you see how the power meter box, cable/internet lines and gas hook up are in the back of your house? That is because the utility easement is behind your house. That being said it is pretty rare that the easement is behind the fence line. It is usually about 3-5 inside the fence line. Just know that if you do plant in the easement we can and will trim, cut down or chop the roots of anything we have to, to get to our lines. Source 15+ year experience working on the lines that make the internet work.
Bad pic for bearings. You’re looking at the right side of the house here. Front is seen with that brick facade. Does that change anything?
Yeah it does, the easement is in the front then and there is very unlikely anything there as far as utilities go but you never know. Sometimes they run in unexpected ways to get to other areas. If it were me and I really wanted to do I’d give it a shot. Just be careful digging just in case.
If you’re digging, call 811 first or [use the Texas 811 website](https://texas811.org/). You shouldn’t hit any buried utilities unless you’re digging at least a foot deep but at least AT&T and Google Fiber both did a shoddy job of burying fiber in my yard, there are spots where you’ll hit fiber 2” down and it’s only that far down because I sort of fixed what they both half assed. Seriously makes me wonder if anyone in this town knows how to bury fiber, as my anecdotal experience is no one does. I called 811 shortly after I bought my house just to have the underground utilities mapped so I knew where to avoid digging or know where to do so with caution. They ask where you’re planning on digging so they know where they need to be marking and I just put “potentially anywhere on the lot” and they marked everything. u/friendlynverve regardless of the OP question putting in a request with 811 to get a mapping of your underground utilities is IMO a good idea. It’s free. [You can do it online here](https://txhop.texas811.org/). It won’t answer your question as to what’s off of your property, unless you get a line marked that leaves your property in that direction, but it’s good to know regardless. I then took a bunch of pictures and video walking the lines they marked with enough landmarks for reference and future use (edge of house, driveway, street, fence line, etc.) so I can reference that if I’m digging in the vicinity of buried utilities. The paint they use is designed to wash away and the flags will eventually blow away if you don’t remove them yourself so document as soon as everything is marked. That looks like a pretty new house so hopefully the records are accurate, but also keep in mind it’s not uncommon to have things buried in places which don’t match records. I’ve seen construction sites with everything mapped out by 811 who then had a backhoe chop through major telecom lines where nothing was marked as buried. It’s not very likely on a residential lot especially in newish developments but worth keeping in mind if you’re doing serious digging.
Check to see if it's a utility easement. If it is, your trees will be cleared from time to time. If not, just plant them when no one's looking. Treefolks has a few sapling and small tree giveaways every year, although there are a few caveats. Maybe a good place to start?
Plant them and if they ask, just confusedly retort that you thought they planted them.
i havent done gorilla gardening since the war
Chances are the city doesn’t own that strip, it’s just an easement. Plant away but don’t get upset if one day they disappear . In the meantime plant some trees in your yard! We have a beautiful red oak in our backyard that we adore.
Love this general sense of “fuck the city, plant your trees bro”
0.0% chance if you ask. If you plant them, they can take them down, it's their property.
If you want them there, just plant them on yr side along the fence.
How would they even know you planted it? I don’t understand why this is even a question. Even if they were perfectly aligned they’d have no way to tell it was you.
Well I mean he **could** bury a handwritten note signed and notarized stating he planted them under each tree right?
Ur right. That would be the responsible thing to do!
I can’t wait to here that Johnny Appleseed planted, that mysterious good hearted person
I would bet that’s an easement and you’d be wasting your money planting on that side of the fence. Plant on your side instead!
You should probably plant on your side of the fence.
The silt fence is likely the right of way, so there is about 10' to 15' between your fence and the ROW. That is often a drainage easement for your lot or the neighborhood, either way, I'd plant the trees and see what happens.
Could always say someone else planted them or they’ve always been there
Treefolks can hook you up even...https://www.treefolks.org/
Ask for forgiveness.
We’re at the tail end of tree planting season, so right now your best bets would be the dry land set-it-and-forget-it species like huisache, Mexican buckeye, cedar elm, and Carolina buckthorn. Your absolute best bet is to find all your planting material in late summer and plant it in mid fall once it starts getting chilly (mid winter? I dunno..). They should establish well given winter rainfall is a thing that year. Send me a pm if you need help on sourcing
Pfft, my 80' American sycamore drops seeds all over my property. They grow all year, like 1' a day. (I never, ever, ever, ever, EVER exaggerate.)
They might want that for access? They’d also probably be in the right to cut them down if they wanted.
All I read was your last name was Appleseed 😉
Plant agricultural hemp. It will be 15ft tall in a year. Use full deniability, or get licensed through the online program on the State of Texas Department of Agriculture website. Its super easy. The plants won’t require much care. They will reseed themselves and you can get all the free CBD you want. Although they definitely will attract attention, not just from the birds and the bees, but possibly pigs and deer too. 😂
Why not plant within your property? That way they are protected and worth the effort.
Fair question! It’s just this particular side we had ideas to park equipment and/or generally need it passable with ease. If we plant privacy style trees they’re going to get super close to the house and it just causes some issues.
The answer is always to ask forgiveness not permission. Like some to the others said look for plants and trees native to the area not just some dumb palm tree
Palm lives matter.
Some palms are at least native to Texas (Sabal mexicana, Sabal minor) but yeah, there are other native trees that might be more likely to survive in a neglected environment.
This appears to be a utility easement and more than likely has lines running underground (sewer, water, electricity, and/or telecomm). I would suggest planting smaller shrubs/bushes as tree roots could cause potential issues later on down the line and could also obstruct utility service/maintenance.
zero possibility the city will allow it. that is an easment. plant now and see what happens.
Happy cake day!
If anything would be problematic, it would be someone in the neighborhood or HOA (if you have one) that would complain
City isn’t big on choppin down random trees if you haven’t noticed
Privacy trees? I say let the squirrels watch. They've seen nuts before.
Depends if it is a utility easement. If not just plant them.
Do it and ask for forgiveness. Not permission. If that clearing has been like that for a while then you use it instead.
Looks like an easement, they may use it to access something from time to time.
Plant away … I know there are protected plants but see if there are any protected trees in Texas.
It’s probably easement. Event if they let them grow they might one day chop it all to the ground when they need to access some city owned infrastructure back there (drainage, underground utilities, etc)
https://www.treefolks.org/ is a place where each household can get 2 free trees. That are also a good resource for knowing what trees to plant. When planting trees also plant native understory stuff and groundcover to discourage weeds.
Sprinkle seeds over the side of the fence every day whilst saying “oops”
Plant. if someone asks, say the developer did it.
How would they ever know you planted them?
Straight line. Unique species of tree not found in that area. EDIT: I mean unless the other trees around there are common. I guess I assumed they were “trash” trees lol, maybe they’re cedar or something else you can easily find and plant. But that still leaves a very clear straight line that’s man made. Could randomize it… but…
Why not plant native trees?
If the land is part of the balcones Canyon land preserve, you could be fined for planting non-native trees in the preserve.
Not sure where/what that is. But I assume there are rules/restrictions like this across all of Austin. This particular area is south Austin, 35 and Slaughter.
Hey, I live down that way, east or west? Either way, just plant them. The city doesn’t care enough to have the resources to do a damn thing about it.
Haha that’s fair! We’re East, by the way!
I'm east too. I have a small farm on Thaxton rd. Is this part of Goodnight Ranch or Easton Park? How were you able to confirm this is city owned land? Also, You don't have to worry about Balcones Canyon. Not in south east austin. Beyond the nature preserve, there are rules, but they are poorly enforced. I had a neighbor that was dumping construction waste on his property. I think his family owns a construction company. They were dumping 5-10 dump truck loads a day of dirt, and concrete, mixed with a little construction debris, a few shingles some broken plywood etc... The city put a cease and desist letter on their gate that went completely ignored. After more than a year and several follow ups from me, the city eventually referred for prosecution (this is after multiple warnings to stop). I was told he would be forced to remediate, but all they did was fine him $1,000 dollars and give him a year of probation where he would have to pay a steeper fine if he ignored them during that time. His family probably made a couple hundred thousand with the amount of illegal dumping they did. If the city doesn't have the time or energy to do a better job on the case I described, they are never going to bother to track you down and fine you for planting a few trees. If you are a part of one of those new developments, make sure the land isn't owned by the development, if it is ask permission from the development. I could see an HOA being WAY more diligent on fines and remediation requirements than the city.
That's my backyard and I'm near Jonestown.
Dont plant non-native trees, whether it’s your land or not. Bad for nature and bad when they fail due to being adapted to other climates.
And?
why not just plant them on your lot? You have plenty of room.
Plant them. If they ask, tell them you saw a sheriff's dept work detail plant them
Ask for forgiveness not permission has always been my motto- since i would do the latter so much and get nothin :/
Just do it and ask forgiveness after.
Just plant some bamboo, or that plant that's like bamboo, all along your fence line.
Just plant on YOUR property. And leave property that isn't yours alone.
I'm of 2 minds about that (depends on the area), BUT I would at least agree that if the area has any kind of deer or rabbits, OP is likely to lose most or all of the small trees they plant, especially if they are unusual for the area, that they don't protect with a cage (which would of course draw attention). Even when a tree isn't tasty, animals may nibble off the leader just to double-check, and if it gets big enough, male deer can attack it just to mark territory. One time some critter noticed I had recently planted a Texas Nightshade and decided to dig it up just because f*ck that plant I guess. Or they get mowed, or overgrown by grass, or whatever. And, extra watering and plants that look healthy tend to attract more attention. So, for OP: you do you, but at this point I'd mainly rather just pop a seed in the ground, and if it grows it grows. P.S. don't plant any invasive species, or anything that might send suckers into your neighbors' yards, or anything with septic-clogging roots (read: cottonwood / willow).
Never ask for forgiveness- talk to them up front, if they decide to they want, they will tear it out, fine you, and make you pay for the removal
The city owns it? Given the cities current problems, this seems like a really risky investment on your part. Sell you home before a homeless camp moves in, or watch your personal investment go underwater. I know this comment is going to catch some downvotes, I’m not against the rights of the homeless. I think we need to be spending more resources to get them offf the streets and into housing and help. On an individual family investment basis though, a homeless camps affects on property values are undeniable.
okay chicken little. You're doing a great job answering questions that nobody asked.
Thank you, it's good to know I'm adding to the dialogue :)
Throw some seeds over that fence and then water them and see what grows 🤷♀️
Even better plant sunflowers, they provide privacy, and no matter how many times they chop them down they’ll grow back with a vengeance.
Bees are a major pollinator of Sunflowers growing sunflowers goes hand in hand with installing and managing bee hives.
Even better. We could use a lot more bees in this world.
I'm all for planting trees, but beware the fire danger during the next heat wave if you live on the edge of a greenbelt.
You dont think that might become a utility easement? Looks the right width, no idea where it might lead.
Plant and then pretend you have no idea how they got there
plant some native trees
Check out [Tony Santoro's Guide to Illegal Tree-Planting](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvtqKMxZ95s) NSFW language warning.
And if you like that, he just posted a [Central Texas video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uDkba7OVpI) yesterday.
squirrels love burying acorns and forgetting about them
This is the access way to the back, don't expect the trees to last but who knows.
Why even ask. Do some traditional British style hedging and voila
This is the Way
0%
Hackberry trees will grow really quick if you let them. Those things are like weeds too they’d never know you planted them
Don't even ask forgiveness just be like dems my trees!
moringa trees are edible/bees LOVE them and they can grow 14 feet in a year...seeds would do best started now, and then you can plant them in protected chicken wire cages to keep deer off (if thats a thing where you live). They don't survive frosts well (so no risk of invasiveness(, but they do survive drought! So its a great low-risk thing to do here in austin. r/guerillagardening would be happy to help you, too :)
Plant them on your property so they will never be chopped down
It might be a fire break.
Call 811 for bigger holes
Plant native species only please
Plant tree in precarious position. Have tree fall on house. Who’s at fault?
Is this the way or is it just a coincidence
Plant some protected trees so they can't chop them down. Don't ask permission.
Do it!
Do it!
Why would you not build a moat?
Utility easement or fire break? Don’t plant in the fire break.