DALLAS, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) — The landscape of Dallas is barer than it was a year ago, thanks to three weather events that claimed thousands of trees. But now, efforts to replace those trees are beginning, including one Friday morning at Kidd Springs Park in Oak Cliff.
It wasn’t a typical day at the office for the 150 volunteers. They got their hands dirty in an effort to put the green back in Dallas parks.
“This has been a really bad year for extreme weather in North Texas,” Director of Operations for the Texas Trees Foundation, Matt Grubisich, said. “Just in Dallas parks alone, they lost something in the neighborhood of 700 to 800 trees, and this park alone was in the neighborhood of 20 to 30 trees.”
At Kidd Springs Park, holes in the ground mark where mature trees stood before the summer storms.
Grubisich said around 3,500 trees were lost in October’s tornadoes. So employees of Crow Holdings, along with the Texas Trees Foundation and Arbor Day Foundation, did their part by planting 50 trees.
“I think it’s our responsibility,” said volunteer Charlie James. “You take ownership of doing things the right way and doing it for the right reason. There’s a lot of pride, and it’s always fun to learn something.”
The volunteers planted 15 species of trees after receiving a tutorial on the dos and don’ts on planting. Grubisich said the long process to replace the trees is for more than just aesthetics. The tree canopy cover can cool an area by as much as 15 degrees.
“It really will have a deep impact in the environment and what people are feeling in their neighborhood,” he said.
And for volunteers, it’s a way to help the city heal — one shovel of dirt at a time.
“It’s so powerful,” said volunteer Susie Bailey. “It says something about how much we love our community, and it gets hot in the summertime, so to have a little shade is quite nice for a park.”
