SALT LAKE CITY — A large cottonwood tree that had become a symbol of the destruction rendered in Liberty Park by last month's windstorm has been accidentally dismantled.
The tree was toppled during the Sept. 9 windstorm that damaged over 1,000 trees in northern Utah.
In a social media post Tuesday, Salt Lake City Public Lands says a misunderstanding led the tree to be sawed into pieces without authorization by an outside contractor last weekend. There had been discussions about repurposing the tree for "artistic or other cultural purposes."
The organization, which apologized, says parts of the tree had already been saved and they will work to determine how it can be used to "highlight the resilience of our community and the natural world."
An investigation is currently underway to determine how the misunderstanding took place and to make sure it does not happen again.
