For decades, it was known simply as “the big tree.”
In a neighbourhood of tall trees, the prairie cottonwood at the corner of Normandy Street and Elevator Road in Saskatoon’s Montgomery Place stood apart. In 2019, the tree was named the widest in the province by the Saskatchewan Forestry Association, measuring 1.7 metres around.
Russ Prosko has lived in the neighbourhood since the mid-1970s. He said generations of kids came to the corner to test their climbing skills.
“It was just a big tree and it was fairly easy to climb because the branches were fairly low. So, they could get up,” he said.
“Sometimes they did get up and we’d have to bring them down.”
Russ Prosko says his daughters took a crack at climbing the big tree. (Dan Zakreski/CBC)
The retired firefighter said he’s got mixed feelings about it coming down. He joined other people from the neighbourhood Monday to watch the crew at work.
“It provided shade, and a place for kids to play. It’s sort of sad to see it going because it was a mark, a lot of people drive by and take pictures.” he said.
“Lot of leaves though. There used to be an elderly gentleman when I was young, he used to rake them up daily. He’d rake them up, put them in a pile and then haul some away, and in the afternoon the wind would change and they’d blow back again and he was out every day chasing them leaves.”
Arborist Tim Fullawka helped bring down the tree. (Dan Zakreski/CBC)
Tim Fullawka is an arborist with Living Skies Tree Service. He said the city contracted the company to take the tree down.
“Like everything else that’s seen its day, it’s starting to decay and becoming a safety hazard. So the city decided to remove it before it did any damage, I guess,” he said.
The crew started working at 8 a.m. Monday, arriving with chainsaws, a wood chipper, ropes, wedges and a bobcat. By late afternoon, all that remained was the three-metre base.
It did not go gently. The bobcat had to twist the trunk and push to finally get it toppled.
“AÂ lot of times that little bit will just pop off. But this one just held on to the bitter end,” Fullawka said.
Car-sized slabs were hauled to the city compost yard on a flatbed through the day, but Fullawka said not all of it was getting composted.
“Doug here, he’s the chainsaw carver. He’s going to recycle some of it and do a carving here for Montgomery, a little memorial for it,” he said.
The tree was a neighbourhood landmark. (Dan Zakreski/CBC)