Land clearing in Helotes

Juniper and oak on the county's rocky side

Bexar County is in the Eastern Edwards Plateau. The county is large and holds more than one soil. The Helotes side matches the plateau: stony ground, shallow soil over limestone, juniper and oak woodland, live oak or mesquite savannah, Ashe juniper, honey mesquite, Texas red oak, and yaupon. Rainfall here is the wetter part of the plateau's range, from about 15 inches in the west of the region to more than 33 in the east. Ranching is the use named for the plateau.

Brush and cedar come out around oaks that are marked to stay. Tight spacing between trunks is a walkthrough item, because the carrier has to fit.

Cobbly clay, and deeper soils nearby

The leading soil in the Bexar survey is Eckrant, a shallow cobbly clay over limestone, including very cobbly clay and rock outcrop on steeper slopes. The same county survey also has extensive Lewisville silty clay and Branyon clay. Those are deeper and darker than the cobbly plateau edge. A Helotes tract may be Eckrant, or it may be one of those deeper clays. The soil map for the parcel is the way to tell.

City permits, oak wilt, and the aquifer

The city fee schedule lists a floodplain development permit fee, and the development services FAQ points residents to the city floodplain map. Development services is the permitting office for building work inside the city. Do not wound oaks from February through June, and paint wounds immediately in any month. The Forest Service notes that San Antonio has an oak wilt program. Helotes handles its own permits. The February through June timing still applies to the oaks here.

The San Antonio regional office covers Bexar County for Edwards questions, and the Helotes quadrangle is on the aquifer authority map list. Only the mapped portion of a tract is regulated. Check the TCEQ map viewer before assuming a permit under 30 TAC Chapter 213.

Homesites and marked oaks

Homesite work opens a footprint, working room, and access. The pad and the final grade are a separate scope. Selective clearing and forestry mulching take brush and Ashe juniper around oaks marked to stay. Fence-line and trail work open the access the tract still needs. The quote is fixed after the walk.