I had a 30" x 60' cotton wood about 30' from my
packing shed... it was actually taller with all the
branches. It probably would have been fine for
another 10-20 years but by that point it would have
been a monster and it would have taken the primary
power down if it went north and my packingshed/
store if it went south.
We took it down without too much trouble. Put a
cable on it half way up and pulled with the excavator
as it was cut to stop it from swinging into the
building.
It was march so there was lots of water in the trunk.
When I picked up the trunk to lay on my truck it was
like a fire hose of water coming out the bottom.
We let the logs "dry" in the shade for 6 or 7 months
and then milled into 2" slabs. They were still plenty
wet. I then brought them inside my barn loft and
stickered them for another 6 months, actually not
the best place as there was little air movement... but
they dried out some.
My buddy took them to his wood shop to make a
table. He planned them once to open up the surface
then stickered them again in a warm room with a
dehumidifier. He said he took out a gallon of water a
day for the first week and then it was every other
day for a couple more weeks... they were probably
in that drying room for a couple months before he
worked with them. He also had them stacked and
stickered with 800lbs of Maple above to keep them
from warping.
When he planned them again the were so tough
from the inter woven fivers his big planner nearly
stalled. It was a little bit at a time.
Here are the pictures before it was finished. I'll try to
dig up the completed table later.
Cut it down, I really like the look of it but more trees
will grow... and in reality cottonwoods are messy.
Great as a shade tree it's the edge of a field.