Brando CalPankian
Carpal tunnel level member
- Location
- Pine City, MN
She's gorgeous. Is there a reason it needs to be pruned?
Tell me about cottonwoods
- Thread starter Neill
- Start date
flushcut
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Delavan, WI
If you haven’t been peed on by a cottonweed first thing in the morning on a hot humid day you haven’t lived.
data farm 26
Been here a while
- Location
- the raft
Smelling so sweet all day long! Are real tree man's fragrance 
ClimbingTN
Branched out member
- Location
- Columbia
I don’t like Eastern Cottonwood from a climber point of view. I do like the sound of the wind in them. I’ve left most of the males. You reach up and grab a 1.5 inch branch and it breaks. I would not TIP less than 6-8 inches. I’ve cut down about 20 that were 100-120ft and too close to my house. I’m trying to keep this one in my wife’s wonderland garden healthy. I climb it on a regular basis.
Attachments
ATH
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Findlay, Ohio
Not a cottonwood...but here is another "shoreline" tree - on South Bass Island.
Couple of years ago a client in need of more advice on her bedraggled Cottonwood was referred to me.
Cottonwoods carry a bit of a professional and social stigma around here. So saving this one felt special.
Her Cottonwood got the works: deadwooding, structural pruning, and target limb reductions; two competing Elms were removed from the Cottonwood's CRZ; TGR and deep root fertilization to round it out. On May 16th 2025, after the pruning work was completed, the tree took a direct hit from an EF3 tornado. This was the first time (for my buddies and I) that a tree under our counsel and work had been tested by a tornado. Wow! The tree performed like a champ. There were small branch failures, but no major tree part failures. If you go to that neighborhood today, you can clearly see the swath that was cut through the urban forest - her tree stands smack dab in the middle.
I last visited the tree in the fall of 25'. Deep royal green leaves were as broad as my chest (which to be fair isn't all that broad, but it impressed me)!
All that to say Cottonwoods got some street creds when it comes to durability and resilience to disturbance.
As a counterpoint to this well-maintained Cottonwood, I am familiar with another ROW Cottonwood (same species) in town that stands alone in a large floodplain. This one has been absolutely mutilated by wind-damage over the years. Pretty much the entire crown has been ripped off in stages, save for two lower laterals where breakages have also occurred.
Species: Eastern Cottonwood (P. deltoides)
Cottonwoods carry a bit of a professional and social stigma around here. So saving this one felt special.
Her Cottonwood got the works: deadwooding, structural pruning, and target limb reductions; two competing Elms were removed from the Cottonwood's CRZ; TGR and deep root fertilization to round it out. On May 16th 2025, after the pruning work was completed, the tree took a direct hit from an EF3 tornado. This was the first time (for my buddies and I) that a tree under our counsel and work had been tested by a tornado. Wow! The tree performed like a champ. There were small branch failures, but no major tree part failures. If you go to that neighborhood today, you can clearly see the swath that was cut through the urban forest - her tree stands smack dab in the middle.
I last visited the tree in the fall of 25'. Deep royal green leaves were as broad as my chest (which to be fair isn't all that broad, but it impressed me)!
All that to say Cottonwoods got some street creds when it comes to durability and resilience to disturbance.
As a counterpoint to this well-maintained Cottonwood, I am familiar with another ROW Cottonwood (same species) in town that stands alone in a large floodplain. This one has been absolutely mutilated by wind-damage over the years. Pretty much the entire crown has been ripped off in stages, save for two lower laterals where breakages have also occurred.
Species: Eastern Cottonwood (P. deltoides)
ATH
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Findlay, Ohio
That is a great success story @Ryfe
Thanks brother! We feel the same way!
In case anyone's interested here's a link to the video we recorded of the Cottonwood:
It's the typical garden variety, field-grade arb vid we've all come to love
My pleasure!
The tree that sparked the thread. Pruned yesterday. I didnt get too heavy handed on it, focused on reducing three leads that grow the most towards the garage and home. In retrospect I would like to have done about 3 more cuts. After photo hides two cuts
southsoundtree
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Olympia, WA
Looks like thinning without limb- length reduction. Is that correct?
That tree appears to have decent, vertical structure to it. We have gotten into some that are like wonky mushrooms. I think I was expecting your Cottonwood to be a lot worse. Thanks for posting pics of your work
flushcut
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Delavan, WI
I’m partial to low pruning of cottonwoods 4-6” above the dirt seems about right. Makes for easier stump grinding.
davidwyby
Branched out member
- Location
- PNW to SoCal
I personally like cottonwoods but professionally they are sketch.
to be clear, the tree I worked on certainly wasn’t in dire need of work, just was one of those times where the conversation with the client turns one way and you make a bid that they end up accepting.
I’m still on the fence about the work I did, I don’t feel it was a net loss but like a lot of reduction work it’s a hard line to walk.
I’m super thankful though to have gained some additional insights from everyone on this thread, it will guide me in my future recommendations
I’m still on the fence about the work I did, I don’t feel it was a net loss but like a lot of reduction work it’s a hard line to walk.
I’m super thankful though to have gained some additional insights from everyone on this thread, it will guide me in my future recommendations
