The Capital-Journal Volunteers in Tonganoxie will be sowing trees and reaping satisfaction on Saturday when they gather to restore some of the beauty that was stripped from the town during last year's tornado. The Tonganoxie Tree Board, along with guidance from the district forester and muscle power from area volunteer groups, will plant about 80 trees along the city's streets in an effort to repair damage from a twister that tore through on May 11, 2000. Elspeth Pevear, district forester for northeast Kansas, said removing downed and damaged trees and replacing them with saplings would not only help restore some beauty but also repair some of the emotional damage.
Trees are important to the integral health of a community.
They provide so much, not just aesthetic beauty. Trees were only part of the damage incurred as a result of the storm last spring. About 200 homes and a dozen businesses had to be rebuilt. Tonganoxie Elementary School lost about two-thirds of its roof. Material possessions, however, weren't the most precious losses suffered by the town.