I'll never understand the cottonwood tree as a species. I wonder how this tree survived evolution at all in the first place. The wood is rubbery garbage, the bark is basically string, they shed limbs whenever a moderately strong wind blows or light snow falls, and once a year at the height of wildfire season the trees blanket the earth with what can only be described as kindling. My neighborhood is loaded with these trees, and I hate them.
What I'm doing today
Lumberjacking - The other problem with cottonwood trees is that the root systems sprawl out and sprout saplings, which grow unbelievably quickly. Two summers ago, the massive cottonwood tree in my back neighbor's yard sprouted two saplings on the edge of my yard. I let them grow, thinking that they would eventually provide a bit of shade where the kids play in the back yard. This spring those two cottonwood trees died, as they are prone to do. I cut them down today, but as they had reached about 20 feet tall, it was a chore. I also needed to protect the root system since they're tied into a large tree that looms over my house. Since the wood is garbage, it's not worth keeping for the fireplace, so I filled up a garbage bin with wood and branches. I also borrowed some pruning spray to seal the roots and protect them from infection. And now we wait for the next batch to spring up so we can do it all over again.
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