ST. LOUIS – As we head into fall, cleanup from the severe weather of late spring continues. In Forest Park, widespread tree damage from the May 16 storms has greatly changed the landscape.
“About 5,000 trees were affected by the storm,” City of St. Louis arborist Jason O’Malley said. “Three thousand or so, we’ve deemed ready for removal. Twenty-two hundred have already been completed.”
That damage came from both straight-line winds and the tornado. O’Malley was in the park when it happened. He says after the initial shock, the first priority was to make the park safe.
“And within an hour of the storm rolling through Forest Park, I was actually out on the streets helping to clear those streets,” he said.
Despite the grief of park damage, crews were much more concerned about the loss of life and livelihoods elsewhere.
“We need to pay respect to them and realize that the park can wait. Trees are trees. But lives are far more important,” O’Malley said.
Through the summer, crews have been out daily, clearing downed trees and removing stumps. They couldn’t do it without the help of other parks departments, contractors, and volunteers.
“This was absolutely a natural disaster that we’re so grateful to have all the help for,” O’Malley said.
While the clean-up continues, replanting has yet to begin.
“The summer months are really not a good time to be planting trees. They won’t survive the stress of being planted in the summer,” O’Malley said. “We have about 1,200 trees being planted this fall, with our partners at Forest Park Forever leading the way on that.”
Replacing decades-old trees will be a multi-year project.
“So, we’ll be working on our master tree planting plan over the next year,” he said.
It means a chance to be intentional in planning the next generation of Forest Park.
“We’re hoping to have about 6,000 trees planted in the next five years. I think that is a reasonable goal and we’ll keep planting trees beyond that,” O’Malley said.
As for all the wood from those giant trees, it isn’t all going to mulch.
“The Saint Louis Zoo has been querying us about using some for their habitats for enrichment. So, we’re happy to share that with them,” O’Malley said. “There are some folks that have wanted to make art out of the fallen trees. So, we’ve set some aside for that are worthy of that.”
Visitors will certainly notice a starkness to the park for a while, but O’Malley and his crew hope you will come out and see the transition for yourself.
“We definitely want visitors here. There’s much to see. All the museums are open. Please come,” he said.
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