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Cottonwood Trees Cause Homeowner's Nightmare

CBS (CHICAGO)--Snow in the winter can be pretty and festive, but in June? Not so much.

Chicago homeowner Marisa Mulh says her rooftop pool deck fills with so much cotton during the month of June that's it's "unbearable" to spend time there.

It looks just like snow, but the fluffy substance is actually the result of  nearby cottonwood trees shedding.

"It's disgusting," Mulh said. "It's actually unbearable to be up here. "There's cotton flying everywhere as if it were snow. I'd almost rather have it be snow because it melts. Cotton sticks to everything."

The cotton jam killed her two air conditioners this month, costing her an estimated $5,000 to repair.

"When the maintenance guys came out and opened it up they said 'we found the culprit--it's the cotton," Mulh said.

The city owns the land where the trees are planted, so Mulh has contacted the city about her problem, but she's unsatisfied with the response.

"I beg the city to please reconsider and take this tree down," she said.

The city says the tree is healthy, so it will not be removed.

An arborist at the Morton Arboretum told CBS 2 planting cottonwood trees is not recommended in residential areas.

 

 

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