Cedar Rapids community invited to participate in ReLeaf plan meeting

CEDAR RAPIDS - The team charged with drafting a plan to reforest the city after most of the tree canopy was lost in the Aug. 10 derecho will soon engage the public in its work.

Community members are invited to give input on the replanting process and learn how they can get involved at a virtual public kickoff event at 7 p.m. March 9, according to a city news release.

This begins the first part of the ReLeaf planning process, led by Cedar Rapids and nonprofit Trees Forever, in coordination with city planning expert Jeff Speck and local landscape architecture firm Confluence.

'We will need a comprehensive plan that will serve as our road map for re-establishing our lost tree canopy in Cedar Rapids for years to come,” Parks and Recreation Director Scott Hock said in the release. 'It is important that the community help us determine priorities and an equitable process that benefits everyone.”

The city encourages residents, business and commercial owners, employers, developers and neighborhood groups to attend. Attendees will learn why a reforestation plan is necessary, what it will include and how it will affect them.

Registration for the meeting is required and will close 5 p.m. March 9.

The Cedar Rapids City Council earlier this month agreed to contribute $500,000 to Trees Forever through Dec. 31 for its collaboration in crafting an urban reforestation plan for public and private spaces. Officials said they anticipate the plan will be drafted by October and provide a vision to guide the long-term efforts to reforest the city's neighborhoods, parks and right of way spaces.

The city estimates a loss of about 70 percent of its tree canopy, encompassing about 6,000 public trees. Debris pickup still is underway with high-volume debris removal contractor Flannery Trucking based in Wisconsin.

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