Cotton wood tree

[Lucille]

I own a small piece of property on a lake in between 2 houses.
My neighbors are complaining that a cottonwood tree on my land should come down as it poses a threat to their houses.
It has been there longer that I have (30 years) and occasionally
breaks a branch due to a high wind. A branch fell on a neighbors fence and broke part of it.

They want me to take it down at the cost of $1,200.00
I prefer trimming it down and not cutting it altogether. Some
companies have come out and said that cotton woods get brittle and pose problems. Are they just trying to get
a job that will pay them 1,200.00 or would just topping it be
enough. They have also informed me that I would be liable
for repairs if the tree damages their houses. Any advice on what
to do? Would I be better off cutting it down to the ground or
topping and trimming it....? Thank you....Lucille

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Cotton wood do tend to get diseases that result in limb failure.

Topping trees results in sprout growth that may be weakly attached and cause a risk of future storm failure. Here is a search on the subject.

http://search.dogpile.com/texis/search?q=topping+trees&geo=no&fs=web

Hazard reduction pruning is an option, limbs can be reduced and deadwood removed.

For an unbiased opinion on the risk of failure fo your tree it is a good idea to retain a consulting arborist who has no vested inerest in the work to be done. You can find on at this site.

http://www.asca-consultants.org/

responsiblity in a storm failure is usualy concidered "act of god/nature" once the object is ove a lotline it is that landwoners responciblity. That can be changed in a court of law if it can be proven that the trees owner knowingly allowed an unsound tree to stay standing.

One of the tenents of tree risk evaluation is that any tree can fail. So an expert must prove that this tree was a critical risk prior to the storm. In 30 mph winds branches on many trees can fail under the wrong condition.

If you want to keep the tree, talk to a Registerd Consulting Arborist about reducing the risk of failure in your tree.

 

[Treebeard]

Cottonwoods can be fragile. Here in New Mexico we have normal looking healthy limbs drop on clear windless days that can squash a picnic table quite nicely. Never top a tree....a 20 foot tall stump is still a stump. Pruning back away from the property line may be an option but it depends on the tree, its structure/shape, age, etc. If the neighbors are really worried they may be willing to help with the removal costs. The cost quoted depends on the work done...sounds like a days worth of work with a crew to me to either trim or remove the tree for $1200.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

that "sumer limb drop" is fascinating! I read somewhere that it may be drought related. That the loss of hydration weakens the fiber holding enough that very large limbs can fail. The only support along the ray is hydrological hence the radial spliting as a log dries.