Last Minden Park cottonwoods gone

Minden Park’s last two old cottonwoods were stripped of their limbs on Friday and were cut down by Tuesday.

But that might not be the end of their contribution to the town’s wellbeing.

Town arborist Greg Hill is proposing taking the wood from the trees and using it to build benches for Jake’s Wetlands.

Minden Town Board members approved taking the trees down in September, but attempts to rescue a bee hive from one of the trees delayed the effort.

On Tuesday, Town Manger Jenifer Davidson said it was discovered the bees had moved on.

Cottonwoods once surrounded the park, but a study conducted in 1990 found them to be a danger should they become hollow and fall.

At the time, it was suggested the trees be taken down over a 25-year period.

The Fremont cottonwood is native to Western Nevada. It grows naturally along riparian areas where flooding is common. Trees can attain heights of up to 115 feet and live for up to 130 years. The trees in Minden Park are estimated to be about a century old. Old trees tend to die from the inside out, becoming hollow and brittle, posing a danger to their surroundings. The tree on the corner of 5th Street and Mono lost a branch last summer during a concert.

The cost of cutting down the two trees, grinding the stumps, pulling the roots and replacing them is $8,000.