Spring Allergies

Spring allergy begins with ground thawing in February, allowing trees with allergic potential to bloom in late March. Boise is blessed with a variety of introduced trees, some with significant allergic potential. Elm, oak, and maple pollen herald the spring allergy pollen season, at times appearing on pollen samplers the first week or two of March. Relatively low counts of 25 to 30 tree pollen per 24-hour sampling can initiate mild to moderate allergy symptoms. The tree pollen cycles rather rapidly from a few days to ten to fourteen days. Fortunately, allergic tree pollens are frequently washed away in the usual rainy springtime. Cottonwood and juniper reach high counts during April, at times causing severe symptoms in dry springs. Sycamore, ash, locust, walnut, and mulberry can also reach high levels, 30 to 50 or more pollens seen on a 24-hour sampler, causing their share of allergy. Linden, Russian olive, and willow cause mainly localized concentrations of pollens and might bother people who have these trees present in their yard.


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