In 1893 the Kettle brothers left Canada in a wagon bound for the Wet Mountain Valley of Colorado to build a new ranch. They brought with them their worldly goods and a little willow tree. The back story of WHY they would take the trouble to transport a tree halfway across the continent is lost to current generation but they know that the tree has been there since they built the cabin that is enclosed within the current house and headquarters and that it came with them on their journey.
I didn't think to take pictures of it before I pruned it but here it is after removal of a 1/4 cord of firewood and a couple pickup loads of brush. Five different tie-ins to work the dead out of the crown. Started on the lead on the front of the second pic and re-crotched my way across. Nothing really hard. Multi-trunked, non-symmetrical, basal sprouts I chose to leave for the tree health and the birds I think it is a cool old tree for a willow.
I didn't think to take pictures of it before I pruned it but here it is after removal of a 1/4 cord of firewood and a couple pickup loads of brush. Five different tie-ins to work the dead out of the crown. Started on the lead on the front of the second pic and re-crotched my way across. Nothing really hard. Multi-trunked, non-symmetrical, basal sprouts I chose to leave for the tree health and the birds I think it is a cool old tree for a willow.

