Question
I have a globe willow about 15 yrs old. my husband really pruned it more than it ever had been just last year. suddenly this year it has a crack down the trunk. leaves look fine.is it going to die? something i have always worried about since i bought my home, is....the tree is about 10 ft away from my septic and leach line. do i need to be worried about its roots destroying my leach line?

2. i also have a cottonwood...15years old. same situation where my husband pruned it-with the help of a tree pruner friend. suddenly tons of brown sap pouring out of it.

Answer
Willows and septic tanks and lines do not mix well. willow trees (and their roots) grow very rapidly. Their roots often wreak havoc when planted to close to sewer lines, septic tanks or drain field lines. A weeping willow grows to a spread of about 35 feet and their massive root system can be expected to spread AT LEAST that far. Because sewer lines provide the perfect growing conditions for these aggressive, water-seeking roots (loads of nutrients and moisture in an environment with a fairly constant temperature), they should never be planted anywhere near a septic system or drain field. All it takes is a hairline crack in your pipe, and the trees' tiny root tendrils will head toward this favorable environment.  

Cotton wood trees do tend to bleed if pruned in the spring. OR sometime they will bleed the next spring if pruned in the winter. They will over time heal over these wounds by them selves. Unless the top was cut off then the tree will either become a bush form or possibly die.