The shade tree in my backyard from 2007 to now, after the big windstorm

I bought my house out near the South Valley in 2007 and that big old cottonwood in the back was the main reason I got the place. It gave great shade all summer long. Then that derecho we had back in 2014 took out a huge limb and the thing never looked the same. After that storm the bark started peeling and half the tree died off by 2016. I finally had to cut it down last spring. Has anyone else had a tree they loved that went downhill fast after a storm?

2 comments

2 Comments

dylanward1mo ago

Wondering if you ever tried to save it after that big limb came down. Did you call an arborist or just let it go? Seems like once a cottonwood gets that kind of damage it's pretty much a ticking time bomb, especially with the bark peeling off the way you described.

troy_ross1mo agoMost Upvoted

Called a guy out to look at it @dylanward and he basically said the same thing you did lol. The whole trunk was already hollowed out on one side from that old wound, so saving it wouldve been a losing battle. Rained for like two weeks straight here too, which made the whole thing feel way heavier and more dangerous. I just had them take the rest of it down and ground out the stump before it fell on my garage honestly.