Because of recent rains, the Tomball and Magnolia area has started to see some relief from the state's historic drought, though prognosticators expect the drought to continue for at least another 12 months.

"It's looking a little bit better, but we're still 20 or 25 inches [of rain] from where we need to be," said Magnolia City Administrator Paul Mendes on Jan. 5. "We weren't supposed to get the rains we got, which has been a real blessing."

One of the biggest effects of the drought for Tomball and Magnolia has been the loss of thousands of trees, and for Magnolia, the tri-county fires compounded the problem. Mendes said he estimates the loss of trees in the greater Magnolia area to be in the hundreds of thousands.

The Texas Forest Service office said it estimates anywhere from 100 million to 500 million trees have been lost statewide.

"The drought makes it worse, because the trees burn that much faster," Mendes said. "Because pine needles were already dead from the drought, they reacted like firecrackers."

Two weeks after the fires started, 75 truckloads, with 30–40 trees each, began being hauled out of the area on a daily basis, according to Mendes.

"Property owners are trying to salvage the value of timber. If you're quick enough, you can still use them for milling, but if they stand too long and get dried out, they aren't good for anything," he said.

While Tomball was not affected by the fires, the drought has caused the death of upwards of 10,000 trees, according to Tomball Public Works Director David Kauffman. In early January, the city, fire and police departments began holding meetings to discuss how best to mitigate risks to the public, Kauffman said. The Tomball Police Department sent its gyroplane up to get a better view of the situation and where the priority areas are.

"We've gotten some good aerial shots, so we're looking at options, whether it's removing the trees in certain areas that could be potential fire hazards or if it would make better sense to cut fire breaks," he said.

The Tomball Fire Department is seeking funding from FEMA to mitigate risk to the public whether it is on public or private land. Power companies like CenterPoint Energy and Entergy are tasked with removing trees that could affect power or water lines. For the cities of Tomball and Magnolia, the focus is on trees in public parks and right of ways.

"[The public works department has] completed the removal of about 75 trees to eliminate trees that we know are dead and can pose a risk to the public," Kauffman said.

The average cost to the city to remove a tree is $400, according to Kauffman. The typical annual budget for tree removal is $5,500, but this year the city estimates it will have to remove 260 trees at a cost of around $110,000.

"We'll draw from reserves or savings from other areas, like cutting back on landscape planning," he said.

The City of Tomball has reserves of 84 percent of its total operating expenditures, well above the 25 percent required by its charter.

Along with replacing trees at public parks, the City of Magnolia is beginning repairs on roads that were cracked and fractured due to the drought.

"We have four or five different roads that have severe enough damage that we need to bring someone in to reconstitute and repave," Mendes said. "The ones that have the greatest use, like the roads school buses use, will take first priority."

Tips for tree owners

City of Tomball Public Works Director David Kauffman discusses what property owners should know about removing trees.

How do property owners determine if any of their trees are dead?

Well over 90 percent of the trees we're losing are pine trees and we know pine trees will die from the inside out and top down. The first thing you'll see is wilting and sagging on the top of the tree. There are many variables so the best thing is to have at least one tree expert take a look. They're extremely busy so I wouldn't wait too long, especially if you have one you have concerns about.

What services does the city provide regarding tree removal and disposal on private property?

We don't provide removal, but we provide curbside chipping service and we'll haul away stumps that can't be chipped. [Residents] can always call the city if they're concerned about any of their trees in the right of way—close to the street or in an alley. We can come out and look at it and let them know if it does need to be addressed or removed. Then we can work with our schedule to pick it up so that the trees aren't sitting out by the road creating a whole different kind of hazard.

For people looking to replant trees, what are the best types to plant in light of drought conditions?

Live oaks do really well because they're slow growing, as well as burr oaks, cedar elms, Texas redbuds and the Monterey oak. They're still going to need a significant amount of water—we can't have the misconception that they're drought resistant. These are more native trees and they're used to the heat, so they're more acclimated.

When should people replant?

The middle of February on is a good time for planting.