Trinity Tornado Reforestation Project
March 19, 2024
March 31, 2023 was a day that changed both the environment and the lives of many in a dramatic fashion. Streets lined with 200 year old trees were stripped of vegetation and homes were severely damaged. Insurance helped with the structure repair but did not address the environmental issues or the psychological and emotional damage.
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral’s outreach arm, The Matthew 25 Committee, recognizes the human factor needs of disaster recovery. The lack of trees, flowers and shrubbery brings a sense of lifelessness and despair to a neighborhood. Wildlife has moved away from the area. Stormwater runoff and erosion are now becoming major problems. The Jimmerson Creek watershed, which reaches from North McKinley Streeet through Kingwood, Foxcroft and Robinwood to the Arkansas River, is receiving unprecedented amounts of silt and debris. Debris blocking the creek caused flooding in a number of homes. Bank erosion where trees and vegetation have been removed is an ever-increasing problem. People look for landmarks like 200 year old trees and they are missing.
As the poet said “Only God can make a tree”; this is true, but we can surely plant them. Trinity has raised $100,000 to begin the project and plant the first sixty plus trees. A neighborhood has been surveyed and residents are selecting the type of trees they would like. Planting has begun starting at the Jimmerson Creek bridge and moving up Jewell and Richwood Roads into Cammack Village. An environmental engineer, who specializes in land and wetland restoration, is volunteering her services as project manager.
The goal is to raise necessary funds to plant 200 medium, 4 in diameter; to large, 7 in diameter, trees. No seedlings will be installed due to the extra care needed. Trees will be native species sourced locally. We hope to obtain donations from churches, individuals and businesses to fund the remaining 140 trees.
Trinity would like to invite you to join in this project. A fund has been set up to receive your tax-deductible donations. Donate to the general project fund, for a specific type of tree, or a specific home. You can even make your gift a designated a memorial. We hope to be creative and bring life and a spiritual renewal to these damaged areas.
Make a donation here.