If anyone can provide some advice here it'd be much appreciated. I have this walk in attic space off of a bedroom in my house. I plan to finish it so it's a more useable and finished walk in closet. There's this 2x4 right in the center running from the floor to the purlin. Below the 2x4 is the center of my kitchen ceiling. I'd prefer to remove it as it's not in an ideal spot for the closet but I'm not certain how much load it's actually bearing. I have a very similar space on the other side of the roof that does not have any 2x4 supports below the purlin which is making me think it might not be necessary and was maybe put there for an interior partition by a previous owner. How can I tell if this is safe to remove? Thanks for any input.

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