Before and After: the Library Trees, downtown Portland

Last January, during a snow-and-ice storm, a very large branch of an elm in front of Multnomah County Library's Central Branch broke off and crashed into the front of the library. After determining that the two 127-year-old elms were in dangerously unhealthy shape, the City of Portland ordered both trees removed. I visited the trees on Feb. 25, 2017, before removal would begin, to look at and photograph them, and also to be glad that the other trees around that building were in good shape and would stay.

Today, after I first went out to a McDonald's breakfast and some shopping at the soon-to-close Foster Fred Meyer, and then after going out again, this time to the comic shop I go to on N. Mississippi, I got around to taking more pictures at the downtown library — and now I can present before-and-after photos.

First, last year:









You can see where the branch broke off. It's more obvious in a later shot how big that branch was.










Since then, two less-than-one-year-old trees have been growing. Here they are, along with the repaired front of the building: