Groups distribute 200 free trees in Elkhorn for Arbor Day, a year after destruction

ELKHORN, Neb. (KLKN) – One year after a devastating tornado struck Elkhorn, the Arbor Day Foundation and the American Reforestation Initiative partnered to help the community rebuild.

“It plants hope, it plants resilience, it brings people together,” said Shannon Jerram of the Arbor Day Foundation. “It’s going to be an inspiring day, for sure.”

The two groups distributed 200 free trees to homeowners on Saturday.

Greg Hobday, who received a tree, told Channel 8 that seeing these people offer a helping hand is amazing.

“We lost one of our big silver maples that we loved in our front yard, so we have a big open space now, no shade,” he said. “It’s nice to come down and get this full-grown tree rather than having to start out from scratch. I appreciate everyone’s efforts in setting this up, and loading the tree in the back of my truck.”

The President of the American Reforestation Initiative, Alan Weiss, said the event marks the start of the Omaha Replant Initiative where they hope to distribute 25,000 trees to neighborhoods.

According to him, the response today is very encouraging.

“We’re seeing tremendous response,” he said. “There’s a lot of good reasons why trees are so good for us as humans, but you don’t really realize that until it’s gone. So now, people are really experiencing that after one year and they want to replant the tree. It’s great timing for what our organization is trying to do.”

Jerram said she believes these trees have so many benefits for the people.

“After the tornado struck on this day, a year ago, there’s a lot of things to focus on as far as humanitarian efforts,” she said. “So focus on rebuilding homes and communities, and when trees get to be reintroduced, it’s a really exciting time to build the community resiliency. Planting a tree is an essential part of replanting after a storm.”