cotton3Boulder is in mourning over a terrible loss to the community — four cottonwood trees given the death sentence by a judge who ruled that the timber was blocking a ditch and posed a flooding threat.

“Once the trees are gone, they are gone forever,” said Patrick Hall, the lawyer for the tree-hugging homeowners near Norwood Avenue.

However, once trees are gone, they really aren’t truly gone forever. Because the crazy thing about trees is, If you plant another one, it will grow.

Seriously, that’s a scientific fact.

A word of advice to the neighborhood, once you get over yourselves and decide to plant new trees, don’t choose the cottenwood. Sure, it’s fast growing and can sprout 50 feet in 20 years, but it also requires a massive amount of room — 50 feet in diameter just for the crown.

Also, the cottenwood is not recommended for urban landscapes, but spacious public parks.

We’re certain you won’t die without the shade and “peace” these common trees provided for your home, but the water it’s been blocking is needed for irrigation.

Try planting a new tree more suitable for the area. It’s just crazy enough to work.