Will This Tree Survive?

A Cottonwood Tree with a History at Larry Moore Park

I have been observing this particular cottonwood tree since about 2004 as I pass it on my walks through Larry Moore Park in Paso Robles It's shape is so unique you can't miss it. It stands alone near where the trails in the park intersect. This is how it looked on October 14, 2017. I will now share the photos I've been taking through the years for comparison.

As you can see, the tree is in bad shape. See how much bark is gone? Very few branches are still alive, if any. Every storm breaks off more branches. It looks as though this year the city may finally be taking better care of the tree.

A Pictorial History of the Cottonwood Tree

This is my first photo after my mom moved near the park and I started walking there. I was still using a camera that left a lot to be desired. You can see that even back then park maintenance was inferior. Most of the tree is dead, and most of what's green is mistletoe.

My First Photo of the Cottonwood, August 9, 2004

My pictorial history has a gap between 2004 and 2010 when I got the computer I use now. It seems a lot of photo history has vanished. But we will pick it up again in 2010. I have put the dates on the photos for easy comparison.  I'm not sure when the picnic table was put under the tree. I think I may see it through the branches on the right.

By March 2011 there is definitely a picnic table and the branch covering it in the 2010 photo no longer has leaves, even though it's March. It's very likely the leafy branch suffered storm damage. Or all the leaves died over winter and are just beginning to come back. The branch at the top right appears to be beginning to get leaves. The bright green is mistletoe.

It's now January, 2012. The shot below looks north toward the trail that goes east to west through the park near the river. You can see the trail and the back of the sign that faces the trail -- the same sign you see in the picture above that faces in the opposite direction.

Below is a cropped version of the photo above for a closer look. It's hard to tell if I'm seeing the top of an intact picnic table on the left. Again, the green is all mistletoe.

By December 2013 vandals have carried off the top of the picnic table leaving only the supports. It appears there are some leaves on the tree.

It's now August 3, 2014. The tree is happily in leafy foliage again,  though the mistletoe is still bothering it. The picnic table is gone, and it appears some of the dead branches have also been carted off. Perhaps the homeless who were living in the riverbed took it to use for firewood.

It's now October 2014. There are some remnants of the picnic table. The leaves have turned brown and the mistletoe has taken over again, but even it is beginning to die, especially at the top.

Here's a closer look. You can see the spot where a branch broke off.

2015

It appears I did not get many walks in the park in 2016. We had to make a lot of day trips that year that took us out of town.  The closest I can get to 2016 is this photo taken on January 9, 2017 between rain storms.

I end this history of the cottonwood tree this month, on October 14, 2017. I'm hoping this tree will last a few more years. I hope you've enjoyed the journey.

Is there a tree you have watched closely over several years?