Omaha area launches new tree-planting campaign inspired by tornadoes
OMAHA — A new Trees for Tomorrow program will launch Saturday with 75 new trees planted at Ta-Ha-Zouka Park in the Elkhorn area.
About 80 community volunteers will plant a dozen different native species in the area, organizers said, motivated by the devastation caused by tornadoes earlier this year in their neighborhoods.
The Elkhorn tree planting event, sponsored by Kiewit and the Nebraska Environmental Trust, is closed to the public.
Emily Hergenrader, a certified arborist and tree program manager for Keep Omaha Beautiful, said other future events will also be made public, including educational events, community conversations and tree planting events.
Public-Private Sector Partnerships
The Trees of Tomorrow program was established this year as a public-private partnership between the nonprofit Keep Omaha Beautiful, private donors, and the City of Omaha’s Public Works, Parks and Recreation, and City Planning departments.
Over the next several years, the program is expected to continue to enhance Omaha’s urban tree canopy by adding thousands of different tree species throughout parks and along trails, city-owned right-of-way spaces and other public areas.
“The ongoing partnership between Omaha Parks and Recreation and Keep Omaha Beautiful strengthens both our organizations,” said Omaha Parks Director Matt Kalcevich. “Our goal is to plant more trees around the city in a responsible and sustainable way.”
Helgenrad said the effort will focus on rebuilding and enhancing Omaha’s tree canopy, planting a variety of native species.
“Our tree canopy will be better able to withstand a changing climate,” she said. “It’s clear, especially this year, that building a stronger, more resilient tree canopy is critical to ensuring a healthier, more sustainable future for our cities.”
“Helping unite communities”
Elkhorn resident Tyler Kerns said he was excited to be a part of the tree program at a time when some residents in areas hit hard by storms this year feel powerless.
“It helps bring the community together to support a project for the future, heal the past and beautify our city for future generations,” Cornes said.
The Trees of Tomorrow program builds on efforts from 2018-23 to recoup the extensive loss of urban ash trees and canopy caused by the invasive ash beetle that arrived in Omaha around 2016.
Keep Omaha Beautiful says it and its partners have planted more than 3,700 different trees in more than 120 public spaces over the past five years.
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