Nearly 700 trees donated to Western Ky. counties hit by 2021 tornado outbreak

In another effort to help Western Kentucky recover from the 2021 tornado outbreak, the Kentucky Division of Forestry will distribute 690 trees to Graves and Caldwell counties on October 19 and 26 respectively.

With the support of the Arbor Day Foundation’s Community Tree Recovery program and State Farm, the free trees are intended to help replace those destroyed by the devastating tornadoes that hit the area in December 2021.

“Increasing tree canopies can be one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to help improve quality of life in our communities,” said State Forester Brandon Howard. “Planting trees is an investment in the future as communities continue to recover from natural disasters.”

The distribution events will take place at the Graves County Cooperative Extension Office 4200 US-45, in Mayfield on October 9, and at Dawson Springs Veteran’s Park on Railroad Avenue October 26, from 9 a.m. to noon. Trees will be available on a first-come-first-served basis, with a limit of five trees per household.

“In the wake of natural disaster, trees can be the promise of hope a neighborhood needs in order to heal,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “By replanting trees, local planting partners are taking meaningful action to foster resiliency in their communities and lay the roots of a greener future.”

On December 10-11, 2021, a violent EF-4 long-tracked tornado moved across an 11-county area in Western Kentucky, producing catastrophic damage and loss of life in numerous communities including Mayfield, Princeton, Dawson Springs and Bremen. The tornado traveled 165.7 miles and was the deadliest and longest-tracked tornado in an outbreak that produced numerous other tornados in western and central Kentucky, as well as in other states. These tornadoes were collectively the most widespread, severe and devastating storms in Kentucky’s history. At least 57 people were killed and another 519 injured.

The Arbor Day Foundation is the world’s largest membership nonprofit dedicated to planting trees. The foundation’s Community Tree Recovery program, a national program underwritten by FedEx and foundation members, aims to replace trees in communities affected by natural disasters throughout the United States. The program has helped distribute more than 5.3 million trees since its inception in 2005.

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