Salt Lake Launches Program To Replace Hundreds Of Trees
Sep 24, 2020, 12:53 PM | Updated: 10:45 pm
Five trees fell on a Pleasant View house during Tuesday morning's huge wind storm. (Mike Anderson, KSL TV)
(Mike Anderson, KSL TV)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall announced a new plan to replace the hundreds of trees blown down during the hurricane force windstorm that blasted the Wasatch Front.
The program is called ReTree SLC, and it’s a joint effort between the city, TreeUtah and other organizations.
ReTree SLC has an active donation portal to collect money that will pay for replanting more than 1,500 trees uprooted in the storm on September 7 and 8.
“As a certified tree-lover, this has been difficult, especially since we know the benefits that trees and tree canopies provide residents, including reducing air pollution, conserving water and increasing walkability,” Mendenhall said.
The windstorm took direct aim at trees in nine city parks, forcing the city to close them for cleanup. The Salt Lake City Cemetery lost 255 trees, and Liberty Park lost an additional 69 trees, according to a news release.
“Trees are indispensable, but luckily they aren’t completely irreplaceable,” Mendenhall said. “We’re going to do our best to regrow what was lost and more.”
“All of us at TreeUtah are saddened by the devastating loss of trees during the storm, but it just heightens our dedication to plant as many trees as possible toward a healthy urban forest. The trees we plant now will provide a better quality of life in Salt Lake City for generations,” said Amy May from TreeUtah.
Falling trees took out dozens of power lines, leaving tens of thousands of Utahns without power in the days after the storm.
“As our crews worked day and night to restore power following the historic windstorm earlier this month, they witnessed the devastation to the urban forest firsthand. Rocky Mountain Power immediately recognized the value of forming partnerships and providing resources to jumpstart a replanting effort to begin healing Salt Lake City’s most prized natural spaces,” said Jeff Barrett from Rocky Mountain Power.
Donations can be made at www.retreeslc.com. Rocky Mountain Power will match the first $10,000 raised.
ReTree SLC will gather volunteers through TreeUtah to plant the trees.
Everyone who donates will get email notifications about tree planting events and those events are listed online as well.
