MightyOld Cottonwoods Blew Down....

Hi...I am in Missoula...Three large...large...large! green cottonwoods were blown over( rooted) in my yard a few weeks back(79mph winds and wet spring). Not wanting these beautiful trees to be turned into firewood I have been searching for the best outcome for them and stumbled upon permies.com....insert( halaluya's and angelic harp music). Obviously the answer will be to use them in a hugelkulture type way. My question is do i need to cut them down to smaller pieces...did I mention they are quite large? haha! This task seems over whelming......but i know its possible.......thank you for your help+information.

check around for someone with a portable sawmill that might cut them up into boards for you

The whole genus Populus... and maybe the whole family Salicaceae, roots like mad from stem cuttings. logs may stay alive for some time. Make sure they are very dead, unless your intent is to have a coppice field of cottonwood. Also look into mushroom cultivation... http://www.fungi.com/

Nothing wrong with fire wood.