BILLINGS – A 105-foot cottonwood tree that was cut out of a Billings backyard last week might have some life left in it. When news of the tree's demise reached Marty Flanagan, he knew he wanted ...

Some believe the tree goes back to a single seed that took root after the last ice age more than 10,000 years ago, and it has been sending out replacement suckers ever since.

A cottonwood is technically a hardwood tree, but it is considered a softwood. The light nature of the branches makes them susceptible to wind damage and snapping from excess weight.

The tree’s seeds are blanketed by thin white floss, sort of like a dandelion, allowing them to hitch a ride on the breeze away from their parent tree, perhaps to somewhere they might take root.

It seems fitting that Nebraska, which has chosen the cottonwood as its state tree, would have the largest one in the United States. The Nebraska Forest Service learned this week that a towering ...

Four yellow bulldozers and chainsaws removed cottonwood trees this week in Barr Lake State Park, alarming wildlife researchers in the process of an annual bird-banding blitz and raising concerns ...

Construction takes place among a pile of discarded cottonwood tree parts at Barr Lake State Park in Brighton on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023. Environmental groups are worried about the removal of cottonwood ...