CALIFORNIA, USA — On any windy spring day in the valley, you can almost hear people's allergies acting up.
In places like Sacramento, known as the City of Trees, it can become the City of Sneeze but there are some things you can do to help yourself and some planning can go a long way.
One of the great things about the Sacramento Valley is everything grows here. One of the bad things about the Sacramento Valley is everything grows here.
When it comes to plants and pollen, there are dozens of varieties and just one can send you sneezing. Experts say to get yourself tested first.
"The first thing would be understanding what allergies you have. What trees are going to be the worst for you at a certain time of the year? Allergies come and go throughout the whole season, whether it's trees, grasses, they all have different timeframes as far as when they're pollinating and when they're producing that pollen," said Matt Morgan with the Davey Tree Expert Company.
In some areas, sycamore trees define and line historic areas like Land Park and East Sacramento. They look great but can be a localized allergy factory.
"Those trees have a really high pollen count, they have a lot of dust that's affiliated with them. Having those around this time of year, when there's no rain, there's no moisture to hold that pollen it's not going to be fun for you," said Morgan.
There's one other way to improve your odds of avoiding some allergies. Some trees like the Chinese Pistache have a male or female variety, and choosing the female can reduce pollen. Also, some trees without a flowering cycle can cut down pollen.
Finally, routine maintenance can keep your trees healthy and cut down on the size of the pollen-producing limbs, cutting down some allergy issues.
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