We were recently asked about the yellowing of certain trees in Enoch City.  We are blessed to have Daniel Allen, Utah Urban & Community Forester for the Division of Forestry, Fire, & State Lands living here in Enoch City.  Here is his response:

"Fast growing trees, like cottonwood, have a list of pests and problems a mile long...  It could be one of any number of issues.  Fast growing trees are like rock stars, they get big quick, reproduce early and often, then die young in a blaze of glory.  ...They were never meant to last, man.

It is much better to plant a tree grows slower and allocates more of its resources to the defense department, a tree with integrity.  Now, I get the desire for "quick shade," but this should always be accompanied by a plan for the 'early retirement' of a fast growing tree.  So, the first step is to plant a sturdy replacement tree according to correct planting principles (click to see).  There are several choices that are better than Willow or Cottonwood, here's just a few of my favorites:

• Boxelder (Acer negundo) - 'Sensation' is tough and fairly fast growing, AND an all-male cultivar, so no boxelder bugs will be attracted to these (bugs feed on the seeds of female trees).

• Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) - one of a handful of trees that survived the atomic bombing at Hiroshima... yeah, it's tough.

• Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) - pretty dang tough, and has a moderate growth rate.

• London Planetree (Platanus acerifolia) - Beautiful large shade tree and fairly fast growing.

• American Elm (Ulmus americana) - yes, seriously, I don't believe there's much chance that it'll get Dutch Elm Disease, and it can handle crappy soils; Lacebark Elm (Ulmus parvifolia) is a great alternative too, neither species are weedy and gross like Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumilla), a fast grower...

For further suggestions, I'll refer you to the UCFC Preferred Tree List (click to see).

Step two is to try and keep any existing trees in optimal health.  This means we give them supplemental fertility in the spring, and make sure they are getting deep but infrequent waterings (lot's of water applied slowly to the soil in one day, with a week or two between waterings)  Also, a LARGE mulch ring (preferably out to the drip line/canopy spread) is one of the best things we can do for our trees.

Step three is to cut down your low-quality (i.e. fast-growing) trees in 5-10 years when the replacements have had a chance to get sizable.