Rochester Tree Project

Eastern Cottonwood

All Trees
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A classic cottonwood

This tree is a classic example of the impressive size possible from an eastern cottonwood tree, made even more impressive by its double trunk. Cottonwood trees have a reputation for fast growth and large size, and although this comes with downsides, they add character to the city. This tree is located at one the entrances to Silver Lake Park in Rochester.

A view upward from the base of the tree
A view upward from the base of the tree

This tree is also part of Silver Lake Park’s Tree ID Trail, described next.

Tree ID Trail

The city of Rochester has developed a useful educational resource in Silver Lake Park called the Tree ID Trail. Silver Lake Park is the home to a variety of tree species, and a number of trees in the park, including this cottonwood have been marked with signs posted nearby that identify the tree species.1

A tree marker identifying a tree on the Tree ID Trail

A marker that identifies this tree as part of Silver Lake Park’s Tree ID Trail. A code links to an associated website with more information.

A fast growing tree

This eastern cottonwood is a fast growing tree—growth of 5 feet per year sustained for 25 years has been documented.2 It is valued for quickly creating shade over a building and also as a windbreak tree.

Taking it a step further, the University of Minnesota developed a cross between an eastern cottonwood and a european black poplar that has a potential growth rate of ten feet per year. The tree, trademarked InnovaTreeâ„¢, began as a solution to a shortage of pulp for paper at the time in Minnesota. But it can be used for carbon capture projects or even quickly creating a privacy screen.34

Fast growing trees generally have a downside, though: the wood is often weak, and they have a reputation for losing limbs in a windstorm.

Footnotes

  1. Tree Identification, City of Rochester. https://www.rochestermn.gov/departments/parks-and-recreation/forestry/resources/tree-identification#:~:text=Silver%20Lake%20Tree%20ID%20Trail%20Web%20Application. ↩

  2. Populus deltoides, Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populus_deltoides. ↩

  3. About the Tree, University of Minnesota Extension - InnovaTree. https://innovatree.umn.edu/about-tree/fast-growing-tree. ↩

  4. C. Wurzer and E. Finn, A new fast-growing tree species out of Minnesota may be part of a climate change solution, MPR News, August 15, 2023. https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2023/08/15/a-new-fastgrowing-tree-species-out-of-minnesota-may-be-part-of-a-climate-change-solution. ↩

American Basswood
Freeman Maple