One of Glen Ellyn's biggest trees to come down

A large cottonwood tree that many consider one of Glen Ellyn's gems is ill and nearing the end of its life.

Peggy Drescher, the village's forester, has been keeping an eye on the decades-old tree ever since she learned that it's diseased.

The tree, which is located on the public parkway along Prairie Avenue, has been pruned three times, and its branches have been cabled together for the past five years. Now there are plans to cut the tree down.

"I've been looking at this tree for three years knowing that we've got some issues with it," Drescher said. "We do have to take it down because it's a high-risk tree."

The exact age of the tree is unknown. Once it's cut down, experts will determine the tree's age by counting the number of rings in its trunk, which is about 72 inches in diameter.

"We don't have many trees this large anymore," Drescher said. "It's definitely one of the village's biggest trees."

Eric Bergman, who lives across the street from the tree, said residents on the block are upset that the tree has been deemed a hazard.

"It just seems like a really sad event for this giant tree to go," he said.

The tree sits right in front of Linda Pearson's house.

She said people taking walks often stop at the tree, look up and talk about it.

"It's definitely one of those conversation pieces," Pearson said.

Pearson said her 7- and 10-year-old sons think it's a cool tree and will miss it. She said the tree is a great presence on the street.

Still, Pearson said, she thinks the village did everything it could to save the tree.

"I can totally understand that it's a big liability," she said. "If it's got to go, it's got to go."

While the tree is being removed because the wood from the upper canopy has decayed, Drescher said wood from the trunk still could be put to good use.

If someone's interested, Drescher said she knows of a company that could use wood from the trunk to create furniture.

"I don't want to take it down until I can exhaust all options," she said. "If anyone's interested in the wood, we'd be happy to try and get it to them."

For more information, call the village's public works department at (630) 469-6756.