--- title: Why Is My Cottonwood Dropping Branches in Summer? url: https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/tree-health-and-problems/why-is-my-cottonwood-dropping-branches-in-summer/ business: Battle Born Tree Service address: 6301 US Highway 50 East, Carson City, NV 89701 phone: 775.232.8243 hours: Office Monday-Friday 8:30 am-5:00 pm; phones answered seven days a week; 24-hour emergency service credentials: ISA Certified Arborist WE-11728A on staff; Nevada Business License # 20131580674; fully insured type: Tree service (removal, crane work, pruning, stump grinding, defensible space, snow removal, firewood) --- - [Home](https://battleborntreeservice.com/) - [Questions and answers](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/) - [Tree health and problems](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/tree-health-and-problems/) - Why is my cottonwood dropping branches in summer? # Why is my cottonwood dropping branches in summer? Large limbs can fail on hot, calm summer days even when the tree looks healthy, a pattern often called sudden limb drop. Long, heavy horizontal limbs are the usual casualties, and a cottonwood with a big spreading crown is a candidate for an arborist's look. ## What sudden limb drop is A city arborist's note from Menlo Park, California describes it as an otherwise healthy-looking branch that breaks unexpectedly, mostly on mature trees with long horizontal limbs that carry a great deal of weight at their tips. It gives several explanations: high heat can dry and shrink internal wood and cause microscopic cracks, and on hot, calm days a tree can take in water faster than the leaves release it, adding weight to a branch. These are explanations offered for the pattern, not a settled cause, and the note is from California, not Nevada. We use it for the idea, not the details. ## Why cottonwoods get the worry Fremont cottonwoods grow fast and wide along Northern Nevada streams and ditches, and an old one can carry heavy limbs over a yard, a fence or a driveway. Our [Fremont cottonwood page](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/fremont-cottonwood/) covers its habits, and the guide on [cottonwoods: keep, prune or remove](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/cottonwoods-keep-prune-or-remove/) covers the decision. A branch that has dropped once is a reason to look at the rest, because a second one may come. Decay at the break is also worth seeing; see [root and trunk decay](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/root-and-trunk-decay/). ## What an arborist does The arborist looks at the limb attachments, any cracks, dead wood and the crown shape, and says whether the answer is dead wooding, end-weight reduction, cabling or removal of a limb or the tree. The Menlo Park note also recommends deep watering in heat waves, proper mulching and routine inspections by a certified arborist. We never tell anyone from a description that a tree is safe. Keep people, cars and seating out from under big limbs on hot afternoons, and if a limb hangs over a line, call NV Energy. Our two ISA Certified Arborists give free estimates: [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243). ### Sources - [City of Menlo Park: Understanding summer sudden limb drop in our urban canopy](https://www.menlopark.gov/News-articles/City-news/20260706Understanding-summer-sudden-limb-drop-in-our-urban-canopy) (read October 17, 2026) - [USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information System: Populus fremontii](https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/popfre/all.html) (read October 1, 2026) ### Talk to the office [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243) | Monday to Friday | 8:30 am - 5:00 pm | |---|---| | Saturday and Sunday | Office closed, phones answered | Phones answered seven days a week. 24-hour emergency service. [Free estimate](#quote) ### Keep reading - [Fremont cottonwood](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/fremont-cottonwood/) - [Cottonwoods in Northern Nevada: keep, prune or remove](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/cottonwoods-keep-prune-or-remove/) - [Dead wooding](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/dead-wooding/) - [Warning signs before a tree fails](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/warning-signs-tree-failure/) - [Tree health and problems questions](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/tree-health-and-problems/) ### Terms on this page [Arborist](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/arborist/) [End-weight reduction](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/end-weight-reduction/) [The full glossary](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/) ### All tree health and problems questions - [Tree health and problems questions](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/tree-health-and-problems/) ## Next tree health and problems questions people ask [Why are my aspen trees dying?](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/tree-health-and-problems/why-are-my-aspen-trees-dying/) [What is the sticky sap dripping from my tree?](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/tree-health-and-problems/what-is-the-sticky-sap-dripping-from-my-tree/) [Can a tree recover after losing half its crown?](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/tree-health-and-problems/can-a-tree-recover-after-losing-half-its-crown/) [Why is my tree leafing out late this spring?](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/tree-health-and-problems/why-is-my-tree-leafing-out-late/) [What are the rows of small holes in my tree's bark?](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/tree-health-and-problems/what-are-the-rows-of-holes-in-my-tree-bark/) [Should a tree hit by lightning be removed?](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/tree-health-and-problems/should-a-tree-hit-by-lightning-be-removed/) [Next question: Are mushrooms at the base of a tree a bad sign?](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/tree-health-and-problems/are-mushrooms-at-the-base-of-a-tree-a-bad-sign/)