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GUEST OPINION Guest Opinion: Fremont cottonwood is not a hazard Comment By Adrienne Trunnell DailyTidings.com By Adrienne Trunnell Posted Apr. 10, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Adrienne Trunnell Posted Apr. 10, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News We are writing regarding the April 6 cover story, “Old tree in way of new homes.” We, the neighbors of the Fremont cottonwood at 380 Clay St., were very pleased to see our tree of concern on the front page of Monday’s paper and greatly appreciated John Darling’s article and his encompassing all perspectives regarding the tree. He included information from those of us trying to save the tree, important city improvement and housing information and views from arborists. It was a well-written article, informing the public in several respects. There is one very important correction we believe should be made, however. In the story, City Administrator Dave Kanner is quoted as saying the tree is “continuing to drop limbs and is not a safe tree,” and that the city hauls 20 cubic yards of branches and limbs annually from the site. The city has had arborists examine the tree and, privately, other arborists have reviewed the tree on their own (see Casey Roland’s assessments) and there are differing statements to this effect. We, the neighbors, who regularly observe this tree, concur with Mr. Roland that it, in fact, does not continually drop (or hardly ever drops) branches, and certainly not limbs. We, the neighbors, can also attest that the (approximately) quarterly cleanup of the property of 380 Clay St. does, in fact, yield a large amount of debris. That debris, however, is hugely due to the pruning, cutting down and culling of several overgrown bushes and trees on the property, brush, and tall grasses. The Fremont cottonwood does, of course, shed leaves every fall, and occasionally minor branches (not limbs), but these account for just a fraction of the 20 cubic yards Mr. Kanner lists. We wonder if Mr. Kanner has ever been present for any of these cleanups; if he has, he would see what constitutes the debris there. Additionally, last year, a bulk of the debris came from a fruitless mulberry tree on the property that was heavily damaged during a windstorm. This tree had to be taken down completely. Conversely, while that tree was destroyed by wind, as well as numerous trees uprooted at Southern Oregon University, and individual trees, fences and roofs damaged during the several windstorms last fall and winter, the Fremont cottonwood stood tall and did not lose any significant limbs. This fact, and the truth about the debris removal, has been relayed to Mr. Kanner on more than one occasion in the past, yet the misinformation has continually reappeared in various forms, most recently this newspaper article, and he got the city to fence the tree anyway, giving the illusion of a safety issue. Once again, we ask, is there a proposal to fence all trees from climbing and enjoying? We ask that the Ashland City Council please review this information carefully when weighing their decisions. Adrienne Trunnell and seven neighbors who also signed this opinion live near 380 Clay St. By Adrienne Trunnell DailyTidings.com By Adrienne Trunnell Posted Apr. 10, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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