After nearly a century of service to Rotary Park, it is time for several of the old cottonwood poplars to be removed. Many of the trees have been showing signs of weakness for several years and their replacement will be phased over time. About eight trees will be removed this year and it is hoped by summer end about eight younger, stronger trees will have taken their place and be establishing themselves in the park.
To see how the park looked when the trees were first planted click:
http://archive.bluebeetlecreative.com/image_view.php?ID=45701
It is interesting to see the already 10 year old Bowness Mansion in the top right corner of the photo at this link.
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| the decayed core of one felled Rotary Park tree |
Thanks for posting. It's sad to see such large trees removed, but poplars are a short lived succession species (60-80 years). They have soft brittle wood that holds lots of water weight and are prone to decay. If you compare a wild poplar to the ones in rotary, you will see how unnatural the form and habit was of these trees. At some point they were topped and developed essentially many tree trunks growing on one trunk with a column of decay. The poplar by the playground was a good example of how dangerous these trees had become. Planting new trees to rejuvenate the park is a good thing in my opinion.
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