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The tree allergy season is here in Northeast Ohio and some experts say it's getting worse each year.

There are several theories about why this is happening, including botanical sexism, which involves choosing male trees over females because they don't leave messy seeds on the ground.

They do, however, emit more pollen.

Dolores Watson was recently cleaning up some of those seeds from her cherry and elm trees in Cleveland.

Watson is a self-proclaimed tree hugger. She advocates for the trees and organizes tree plantings in Cleveland neighborhoods.

The only problem? She went to an allergist, who determined she鈥檚 allergic to鈥攜ou guessed it-- trees.

鈥淎nd I thought, well, that鈥檚 awful,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 saw that when I started getting sick was just when the Buckeyes started blooming. And then I thought, that鈥檚 just so ironic. I鈥檓 a tree hugger, I live in Ohio, of course I鈥檓 allergic to Buckeyes, that鈥檚 just the way it goes.鈥�

Spring is prime tree allergy season in Northeast Ohio, according to clinical allergist Dr. Shan Shan Wu.

鈥淎nytime from March to May is tree season in Northeast Ohio,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e can find a little bit of the grass pollen appearing as well, and as we head to June and July, that鈥檚 grass season, tree season is gone.鈥�

A device outside of Dr. Wu鈥檚 practicing clinic in Mayfield Heights counts the pollen in the air.

This machine, called a Rotorod, counts pollen outside of Allergy/Immunology Associates, Inc. in Mayfield Heights, Ohio. [Lisa Ryan / ideastream]

鈥淲e have an older kind of machine, it鈥檚 called a Rotorod, where it spins a certain number of times every 15 minutes, and we use the slides and take a look under the microscope and count each pollen out,鈥� Wu said.

A person from a fellowship program gathers what the machine collects every day and manually counts pollen spores under a microscope, she said.

Right now, , as it typically is this time of year. And there are some theories that it might be getting worse.

A found that climate change has increased pollen in the U.S. by about 40 percent from 1990 to 2010.

 鈥淭he pollination period gets extended when there鈥檚 more 鈥渘o frost鈥� dates. So the warmer it gets, and the shorter the winter gets, the extended season of pollen is,鈥� said arborist Diana Sette, who currently works as a horticulturist at University Hospitals.

 鈥淚n many ways, ironically, the ultimate solution to dealing with the pollen issue is to plant more trees so we have less carbon in the air and more oxygen, which helps increase the air quality,鈥� she said.

Diana Sette poses for a picture in University Hospitals' rooftop garden. [Courtesy: Diana Sette]

This theory concludes individuals and city planners purposely planted male trees, which produce fewer seeds but more pollen.

Sette has heard of this theory, and said it鈥檚 commonly used with trees that have a lot of seeds, which can litter sidewalks, streets, and clog sewers.

鈥淥ne big example is with the gingko tree, because the flowers of the gingko are very strong and the fruits can even cause a little rash, for some people it鈥檚 an irritant,鈥� Sette said. 鈥淚n Chinese culture, in Eastern medicine, it鈥檚 used medicinally, but here it鈥檚 viewed more as a deterrent, so oftentimes you鈥檒l see more of the male planted for that particular species.鈥�

The nursery industry is driven by trends and aesthetics, according to Lizzie Sords, the manager of urban forestry at the Western Reserve Land Conservancy.

鈥淲e're very drawn to big, showy flowers and predictable shapes, or at least that has been kind of the dominant landscaping trend,鈥� Sords said.

To accomplish that, Sords said nurseries used propagation tools to make trees more desirable for consumers, which often means fewer seeds but more pollen.  

However, Sords said the health benefit of trees outweighs any allergens.

鈥淭here is more benefit to having a robust urban tree canopy than trying to go back and mitigate allergens,鈥� she said.

Those health benefits include improved air quality, cleaner water through trees鈥� natural filters, and decreased temperatures through the shade that trees provide.

Now that more vaccinated people are taking off their masks, they might be more susceptible to allergies.

While masks helps, Dr. Wu said you can still become exposed to pollen while wearing them.

鈥淲earing masks outside can prevent some of the pollens from entering the nasal passageway, but if someone鈥檚 allergic to a specific type of pollen and they come into contact or become exposed to it, that type of pollen could also get in touch with the mucosal lining of the eyes and hands,鈥� she said.

But there are some things you can do to help improve your allergy symptoms, Sette said.

鈥淭here are things you can do. Keep your windows up while you鈥檙e driving during the pollination season. Washing your clothes if you鈥檝e been outside, just things like that to reduce your exposure to pollen,鈥� she said. 鈥淩emoving plants is not the answer.鈥�

Watson, meanwhile, doesn鈥檛 mind sweeping messy sidewalks or taking antihistamine pills, because she loves trees more than she hates her allergies.

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