A worker from All Around Arbor makes the final cut on a black cottonwood the company removed from a North Portland yard July 9. The 40-foot tree threatened a retaining wall and was considered a nuisance by neighbors. (Photo by Matthew Ginn © 2010)

Just over two weeks after it received a last-minute stay of execution, the black cottonwood tree in our front yard has been taken down.

It took four men from All Around Arbor less than four hours to dismantle the 40-foot tree on July 9.

Friday morning dawned clear and hot in St. Johns, and I had just returned from an early morning photo shoot when I heard a knock at our door. It was the arborist, warning me to move my Jeep from the driveway. Having done so, I set aside my morning’s work to document theirs.

Click the thumbnails below for the short edit of the photos. See the slide show below for additional images.

Arborists – Images by Matthew Ginn