cut or not cut

JML755

Well-known Member
While clearing my pole barn site, I encountered a large cottonwood tree (36"dia, estimate at 85 ft tall) in the brush about 30' from the barn location (in the background to the left in the pic). I was going to cut it down concerned it might come down on the pole barn in a storm. But then I cleared and prepped the driveway leading to the barn with crusher sand. I stepped back yesterday and saw what a beautiful old tree it was. It presents a nice sight driving up the driveway, perfectly centered. Talked to the wife and we're hemming and hawing about keeping it. Part of my motivation to cut it down was that I've got a sawmill and was going to use the tree for paddock fencing boards. I've got a stockpile (growing by the day) of 12-14" diameter trees and this tree would have provided a LOT of lumber. What do you think? Keep it?
23567.jpg
 
It is a nice tree but it may cost a bunch to take it down later on and cause damage. Plant several more after you take it out watch them grow.
 
Cut anything and everything, that has potential to fall and hit the building. Now or in the future.
 
As far as using it for paddock boards, don't. Cottonwood rots pretty quickly when used outside, and the lumber isn't very good for strength, either.
 
That?s a tough one.

Cottonwoods tend to lose branches, not topple over entirely, so likely won?t smash the shed. But.....

If it was in a grove of trees and you have cleaned a lot of trees around it, it is not used to full wind, and is more likely to topple in a strong wind.

Cottonwood dos not make outdoor wood, it doesn?t weather well so I would not plan on using it for fencing.

I like trees and tend to want to save them. But at some point one has to consider age and health of the tree and the amount of risk it poses to
buildings around it.

A tough thing to weigh out.

I have an old cottonwood in the field, it must be 6 feet diameter. It?s been through a lot. Have to clean up a few branches every year in the field
before harvest. Pretty old tree. I have to farm around it, but it?s got a place on the farm, I think grandpa would stop and rest the horses under it
and have a water/ lunch break.

Paul

Paul
 
I know it's not the best but my plan is to use whatever I have on the property for paddock boards. The reason: THEY'RE FREE!! I'll paint them before I put them up. I've got a few oak trees that I'll use as well.

Also, in my experience, boards tend to get torn up by horses (cribbing and leaning on them) before they rot. And with the sawmill, I can just cut up some more and replace any bad ones.
 

Which way do the average rains and winds blown in from, if a strong storm coming from the normal direction would blow the tree toward the building I'd probably take it down, other wise leave it for shade.
Cottonwood is simular to popular and pine, used inside where it stays dry it has nearly the same strength as popular, outside in the weather it rots as fast as untreated pine.
I know a guy that built a large barn using cottonwood 2x6's for the stringers and purlins with metal on the out side. I doubt it'll stand as long as the old timber frame barns but it's been there for over 30 years, I'm sure if the metal isn't keep up and starts leaking it'll rut down pretty fast.


John
 

I kept one (willow oak) it sits in between the house and shop and blocks the morning sun off the shop Its not going anywhere its a keeper... If it does not block the sun and can fall on house are buildings then it would go... I have a more in front of the house one day a few of them will be cut down I have already cut 55 trees its hard to cut them all of'em....
 
"a large cottonwood tree (36"dia, estimate at 85 ft tall) in the brush about 30' from the barn location"

Every year the tree will drop leaves, twigs and a variety of different size branches on the building. There's no way would put a new building under the drip line of a large tall tree. I'd either find a new site for the building or take down the tree.
 
KEEP IT!we are in an area where there are not a lot of trees. the shade and beauty are priceless. Once it is cut,it is gone forever.There are other trees for lumber.
 
Cotton wood is great for siding if placed vertical and kept off the ground. It is on my barn. The only reason I covered it with steel is the spacing between boards for the weather getting in between them. Spacing is over an inch between each. They were old when I was old enought to know what a barn was. I don't know if they were dried when installed with the spacing to let air in to the hay or if they were green and srunk that much. They were never painted. Problem was the weather comming in between them and starting to rot framing that I don't know what it is.
 
Cotton wood is a very valuable lumber to the right people. It is shipped to China where it is very much in demand. Fathers of the bride use it to make hope chests for their daughters. Some guys came and looked at some on my place years ago, but was too small. What you have is just what they look for.
Talk to some lumber folks in your area.
It is useless as outdoor lumber. Want last at all.
Richard in NW SC
 
Reminds me of a story I heard on the radio just yesterday. A researcher wanted to know the effects of weather over the years and wanted to look at the rings in an old tree. He went out and found one that he wanted to check. His core bit broke off in it,so he went and found a park ranger and told him what happened. He said no problem,we'll just cut it down.

They cut it down,cut some slabs and he took one back to his lab and started counting. The tree turned out to be the oldest living organism on the planet. 4944 years old. In man's arrogance and thinking he had to master nature,he killed the worlds oldest organism.

Just something to think about before you start the chainsaw for your onw convenience. LOL
Smithsonian Magazine story
 
Well then don't use any poplar boards. They are pretty and straight and people love them for decorative fences. But
the horses love them too....horse candy, same with hemlock. Won't last a season with horses on them. There is a reason
why good horse fences are made of oak.
 
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.
a279925.jpg

a279926.jpg
 
I couldn't put the caption in the pictures. The top picture is the countertop. The wood was not fully dry and it warped a bit. I will pull it off this winter and replane. Note it has oil based urethane so it yellows the wood.

Bottom picture is the table 5'x14'. It's three slabs but the heartwood is juniper.
This isn't the finished table. I'll find those pictures later. It has water based urethane and has a more natural "whiter" finish.

I'm lucky to have a neighbour with a mill. And buddy with full wood work shop.
 
Truckers used to like cottonwood for decks on lowbeds and for lining dump boxes. It is hard to find and it takes time and work to get it to dry without warping.
Dave
 
I built my outbuilding underneath mature trees. It limits the wind, rain, provides
shade, and really gives the project curb appeal. I get leaves on the shingles, but that
is nothing. Could I lose the building? Yes. The chances of that happening are slim.
It has stood for years now without a scratch. I can work out there on the hottest summer
day or the most inclement weather.

I'd say leave it. It will be years before anything grows tall enough to provide usable
shade. Now if finances are putting the cards close to your chest, take it out.

Aaron
 
Well, of course you should keep it. What do these guys know that want you to cut it down? It will look great with your new building. There
was a cartoon several years ago in an Iowa paper. It showed the last tree in Iowa with a new 4 lane hi way being built right up to it. OK, this is kind of tongue in cheek, but the chances of it falling on your building are pretty slim. Enjoy your old tree.
 
I like the view, but I have a few
cottonwood trees growing in a creek that
runs thru my farm. They shed, never fails
during harvest that I'll have several big
limbs laying in the corn/soybeans. Not a
big problem they are light. Before you get
on me to cut them down they grow on pretty
much a vertical creek bank that really
isn't safe with a chain saw and a big tree.
I'm pretty good at determing where a tree
will fall but this doesn't excite me
 
Well I have 100 foot tall Oak and Maple trees that are 30 feet from my house. They double the value of the house to me. The shade is hard to beat. The one tree I had fall a few years ago was shorter and further away. A wind from the non prevailing direction took it down. Funny thing is more sheds/barns in the area where damaged with nothing around them. I think what saved the house in that storm was the Oak trees on the side where the wind hit. Without them I bet the old house would have had a lot more damage.

Good thing people 100 years ago did not have modern chain saws and the attitude of wanting to cut every thing down in a hundred foot circle of every building, if they had either there would not be a single tree left. Health trees are for the next generation.
 
From looking at picture you have plenty of shade. If that was to fall its not just the damage to building but also what every you have in
side of building because insurance is not going to pay for every thing that is lost. I would take it down.
 
In my area 3/4 of what used to be cleared land has grown back up in woods,leave a piece of ground alone for over 5 years and you'll never cut it with anything but a chainsaw.Hill beside my house was pasture when I was a kid it has some 80 ft tall Poplars now.Worst weeds in pastures are Persimmon,Oak,walnut and Hickory trees constantly have to be cut that's one of the reasons I got meat
goats.Pines and Red Cedars grow even faster.
 
And if it falls on the other trees it'll tear them all to pieces.I had a big Red Oak probably 50" in diameter with huge limbs blow over this past Summer tore up and knocked down 6 or 8
other good size oaks and hickorys.Fine with me it was over in a pasture field and it'll all make good firewood but that tree would have demolished a building.
 
Your 100FT. oaks have to be mature oaks and when they hit that age the wood gets brash and break out easy. My folks had two like that and in wind storm they had large branches break and come down. That's when they had them taken down so they wouldn't land on their new home.
 
Down here they are considered trash trees.

Grow fast, soft wood, prone to drop big limbs, even blow over with no evidence of distress.

And the cotton gets on and in everything!

If it's tall enough to fall on the building, I would either cut it or move the building.
 
I still say take it down and use the wood whatever
the best way suits you. Believe me, more will grow.

Here is the finished table.
a279985.jpg

a279986.jpg

a279987.jpg
 
I'd say leave it. I left this one behind our house when we added on. It's our only shade behind the house. I have a friend with a bucket truck. We did thin it some and take a bunch of weight off of it. Also, it doesn't make cotton. There are always small sticks dropping, and the leaves drop early, but it would take longer than I care to wait to grow a new shade tree.

Sorry about the sideways pic, but I had to turn my phone to get the whole tree in.
a280006.jpg
 

When they built the first transcontinental railroad they used a lot of cottonwood for ties as they built it, because it grew nearby. ...........................................................Then the following year once they had the road built they brought real wood in on the trains and replaced them all.
 
Truckers used to like cottonwood for decks on lowbeds and for lining dump boxes. It is hard to find and it takes time and work to get it to dry without warping.
Dave
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top