The Cox Creek Path had long been cleared by the time I came across this scene on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
Dead trees crashing down across the Cox Creek Path in Albany and taking out sections of chain-link fencing — that’s getting to be a routine or at least recurring thing.
I came across the aftermath of another such event on Wednesday afternoon. I don’t know when it happened. The path was clear. Only the wreckage on either side of the path remained.
This was at least the fifth time in recent years that the same thing happened along the path, which goes from the Simpson Park parking lot to Salem Avenue.
The first time I know of was in October 2016, when two trees came down and the path was closed a few days because of “hazard trees.”
Then it happened again in September 2020, in November 2022, and in December 2024.
The damage to the fence from the tree fall last December is still there, just a few feet from the latest case.
The fence is between the path and Talking Water Gardens, the system of ponds built to cool treated wastewater before it’s released to the Willamette River. The system is not being used now to settle a complaint by the Department of Environmental Quality over underground leakage from the ponds.
There are a few more big trees standing between the path and Cox Creek. I assume they are cottonwoods, and they look pretty old and dead. Chances are they too will blow over one of these times when a strong wind blows. (hh)
The damage on the left remains from when a tree fell across the fence in December 2024.
I’ve noticed the fence behind Lowes has sustained more damage too. NOT trees.