Black Cottonwood

American Elm tree

BLACK COTTONWOOD

(Populus trichocarpa)

Southern end of 9th Street

Acknowledged in 2023

 

With a massive trunk deeply furrowed and blanketed in thick moss, this huge cottonwood towers over the tree canopy in Marys River Park.  With a diameter of 6.5 feet (78 inches) it is one of the largest cottonwoods in Oregon.  Standing approx. 160 feet tall, its vast root network helps stabilize the bank of the river, and its crown provides exceptional nesting and foraging habitat for wildlife (birds, moths, and butterflies in particular).  Large old trees such as this one provide numerous ecological benefits to the riparian areas where they are found.