Cottonwoods are some of the most common large trees across Windsor, Fort Collins, and the rest of Northern Colorado, and they're also known for something arborists call "summer branch drop," where a large limb fails on a calm, hot day with no storm involved.
The exact cause isn't fully understood, but it's linked to internal moisture stress during extended summer heat, especially in older cottonwoods with extensive canopy weight. It tends to happen without the visible warning signs you'd expect from a diseased or storm-damaged tree.
Because of this, mature cottonwoods near driveways, patios, or play areas deserve a periodic structural check even when they look perfectly healthy from the outside.
If you have a large cottonwood on your property that hasn't been looked at in a while, late summer is a good time to have it assessed.
#Cottonwoods #NorthernColorado #TreeSafety #WindsorCO #ArborCoTreeCare
Authentic job photo preferred: a large mature cottonwood on a Northern Colorado property, or a crew member conducting a structural assessment. Real, local tree photos support this species-specific topic better than stock imagery.
Canva text suggestion: "Cottonwoods Can Drop Limbs Without Warning" or "Late Summer Is the Time for a Cottonwood Check"