Palatine To Help Washington Replace Trees Lost To Tornado
PALATINE, Ill. (CBS) -- Officials in Palatine have begun taking steps to reforest the downstate town of Washington, after it lost many of its trees to a devastating tornado in November.
"There were so many trees that were gone. They were just knocked over, and some of them were completely gone," Palatine Park District arts coordinator Carol Lange told WBBM Newsradio's John Cody.
Lange said, in addition to more than 1,000 homes destroyed or severely damaged by the Nov. 17 twister in Washington, about 1,000 trees were ripped out.
Palatine Park District director Mike Clark said Lange and his staff wanted to help out after she toured Washington in the wake of the tornado.
"Parks were pretty well devastated by the storm, so staff came up with the idea, 'Hey, let's try to reforest the parks down in Washington," he said.
Lange estimated the Palatine Park District could provide about 200 seedlings for planting around Arbor Day on April 25 – including burr oak, red maple, yellow birch, river birch, white fir, and white oak trees – for a cost of about $800.
The district also is collecting funds on its website, hoping to provide even more trees.