“It’s really only people in the recovery process who realize the need to replant the mature trees that were destroyed and the lack of resources at any level to attend to that need" said Grady Mc Gahan, founder of RETREET, a Dallas group that helps restore urban forests after natural disaster.
The nonprofit plans to organize a community-planting event that connects donors and volunteers with residents who lost trees in the storm.
Residents who want trees replanted on their properties will be able to request a tree through the organization. Residents should have multiple opportunities to get a new tree.
McGahan toured the region Tuesday with local officials to study storm-damaged areas in Beavercreek, Dayton, Harrison Twp. and Trotwood.
A stop at Sinclair Park and a nearby neighborhood in Harrison Twp. was a reminder of how much harm Mother Nature did to the tree canopy.
Before the Memorial Day tornadoes, the park was home to about 415 mature trees, dominated by red and white oaks, many more than 200 years old.
But the worst tornado of the region, an EF4 packing winds up to 170 mph, swept through the center of the park. Between 350 and 375 trees were completely lost or significantly damaged, said Merle Cypher, the township’s services director.
Significant sections of Beavercreek, Dayton and Trotwood were similarly denuded of trees.
Stumps are all that remain in multiple yards on Macready Avenue in Old North Dayton.
The road used to have 11 street trees, city staff said, but now it has about half that.
DeWeese Parkway has seen its tree canopy decline significantly because of the storm, staff said.
Experts have said there’s no way to determine how many thousands of trees were toppled across the region that Memorial Day night.
But trees are a necessity for community life, providing shade, storm water interception and health benefits for residents, said Wendi Van Buren, an urban forester for the Ohio Division of Natural Resources (ODNR).
McGahan said so-called TREEcovery campaigns replace fallen trees with 15-gallon, 1 ½-inch caliper native species from a list approved by agencies such as ODNR or city arborists. The new trees will range from seven to 10 feet tall depending on the species.
It’s unclear how soon a Dayton-area event might be scheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic, McGahan said. But it is expected to take place next year, and beforehand, impacted residents will be able to request trees through RETREET’s website.
In the weeks leading up to a planting event, the organization will meet with property owners to determine proper planting locations, mark the locations and check for any buried utilities and purchase trees at local nurseries.
McGahan said the planting event likely will result in 150 to 200 new trees being added to local residential areas, using mostly volunteer labor. But RETREET plans to do a series of events in this area and work for multiple years on a large-scale reforestation effort.
Each tree and planting can cost roughly $250 to $300. The program is seeking about one volunteer for every tree planted.
RETREET needs the permission of property owners to plant the trees, but the group also wants to identify people who will water and take care of the trees. Significant outreach to residents is planned, officials said.
While debris cleanup and home repair and rebuilding efforts are commonplace following a natural disaster, tree replanting is an underrepresented part of the recovery process, McGahan said.
McGahan said the goal of his visit is to understand how neighborhoods were affected and where they are in the recovery process and identify potential partners in the reforestation effort.
“It’s very similar to what we’ve seen in disaster-struck areas, at least for tornadoes,” he said. “Of everything that’s been lost, it’s the trees that take the longest to replace, because you can’t just rebuild an 80-year-old tree.”
Alexis Faust, executive director of Aullwood Audubon, helped bring McGahan to the region and she expects dozens of Audubon volunteers will support this work.
“I know we want to have a good-sized team in every community,” she said. “Our staff, of course, also like nothing better than a good tree planting ― anything to help the birds.”
Local communities also are working to replace trees that are found on public property.
The city of Dayton said about 106 trees in the right-of-way and 197 trees in city parks were knocked down by the storm.
Next year, the city plans to plant 100 new trees in the right-of-way and 100 in the parks, using trees from its tree farms.
Trees increase property values, create a more health environment and lead to energy savings from the shade they provide, said Fred Stovall, Dayton’s director of public works.
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