Tree ID is nothing to sneeze at

The outdoor allergy season is over for the northeast,with very low pollen counts. Which trees in our neighborhood are threats for the spring season?  Thomas Ogren rates trees on an index of 1-10.  Male trees are often near the high or worse level. The 10 rating goes to cryptomeria or Japanese cedar.

Cedar allergy has become a public health problem in Japan.  There are hundreds of references on pubmed.com.  Rhinitis does correlate with the February-April pollen season.  They have developed pollen chambers in which the dose of pollen can be standardized, confirming the cause of symptoms.  In severe cases there can be eczema or asthma.  Treatment is mainly symptomatic.  Forty percent of middle age Japanese are sensitive to the cedar tree.  Their exposure is to large cedar forests and not just isolated trees.

Other high ranked trees are the fringe tree(10) sycamore (9) and silver maple(9).   Oak pollen is also high in the spring and summer.  The final note from Japan, dust mite allergy is the most common perennial allergy, equal in intensity to the cedar sensitivity.  So other allergens and viral infections can be similar to the tree pollen reaction.

cryptomeria pollen grain

There are skin tests and blood tests for the specific allergen,or pitch a tent around the nearest cryptomeria and monitor the symptoms.