Old tree removal causes stir, but company said it's necessary

Bill Jackson

Nov. 5, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Some residents in southern Weld County are upset that the Henrylyn Irrigation Co. is removing cottonwood trees along its ditch which provides irrigation water to 33,000 acres of farmland.

But Rod Baumgartner, manager of the irrigation company, said the removal of the trees, some which are 100 years old, is part of a maintenance program the company has had on-going for several years and is designed to prevent problems the trees could cause in the future.

"This is not something we just started over night, it's part of the maintenance program we've been doing for the last four or five years," Baumgartner said.

Karen Hunt and her family live on an 80-acre parcel about two miles southwest of Hudson. The Henrylyn ditch bi-sects the property, but they do not use water from the ditch. There is a cottonwood tree along the ditch in what Hunt said "is in our backyard," which is among those due to come down along the 50-mile stretch of the irrigation ditch. The tree, she said, is about 10 feet in diameter, 80-feet high and is 80-100 years old, according to an arborist she had come out to look at the giant. She was also told the life span of a cottonwood is infinite as long as it is trimmed and has a ready water supply.

However, Joe Lohnes, forester for the city of Greeley, said the plains cottonwood probably doesn't live much longer than 100 years, while the hybrid cottonwood species, typically found in Greeley, has a life span of 25-30 years.

"If a tree is showing signs of dead wood in its canopy, then that's a pretty good indication the tree has a problem," he said, adding, however, that the plains cottonwood is not susceptible to disease problems that can commonly attack its hybrid cousin.

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Newstex ID: KRTB-0081-39484187