Trees Forever asks community to pitch in on ReLeaf Cedar Rapids to replant trees post-derecho

CEDAR RAPIDS — Residents of Cedar Rapids and small businesses will soon be asked to pitch in to “Grow the Love” and get the city’s $37 million fundraising effort across the finish line to replenish the tree canopy lost in the 2020 derecho.

Having raised more than half the $37 million needed to plant about 42,000 trees on public rights of way and parks over the course of 10 years, Trees Forever on Saturday will launch a community phase of fundraising for ReLeaf Cedar Rapids — its public-private partnership with the city of Cedar Rapids to revive the city’s urban forest.

Renowned city planner Jeff Speck helped draft the plan, which was honored last year with a Charter Award — the world’s preeminent award for urban design, place-making and community building — from the Congress for the New Urbanism.

The new community-focused capital campaign, “Grow The Love,” will officially launch Saturday at the annual EcoFest at NewBo City Market. The kickoff at EcoFest comes before Earth Week, which starts with Earth Day April 22 and ends with Arbor Day April 26.

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Derecho destroyed 65 percent of Cedar Rapids’ tree canopy

Cedar Rapids estimates it lost roughly 720,000 trees, or 65 percent of the overall tree canopy that existed before the derecho toppled trees with hurricane-force winds.

Fundraising for ReLeaf has been underway for the last three years with a focus on major gifts from corporate donors as well as government grants and allocations.

Trees Forever has raised $3.5 million. Cedar Rapids committed $10 million — $1 million a year for 10 years — toward the endeavor. In September, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Cedar Rapids received $6 million through the Inflation Reduction Act. The city also received $3.5 million toward tree planting as part of the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department’s Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funding.

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With the “Grow the Love" campaign, Trees Forever is looking to raise money from individual residents and smaller businesses. Current donations and grants have reached 61 percent of the $37 million fundraising goal. Now, Cedar Rapids residents are being asked to help push the effort across the finish line.

“Our focus is to reach every Cedar Rapidian multiple times this year through public access,” said Deb Powers, Trees Forever interim chief executive officer.

Trees Forever announced Thursday that Michelle Beisker will fill the CEO role permanently starting April 29.

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There will be QR codes displayed around the city for people to scan and donate. Powers said if even 5 percent of all Cedar Rapids residents give at least $10 a month for three years — $360 total — and if local businesses made an average $5,000-a-year, three-year pledge that could help achieve fundraising goals.

“We're breaking it down for three-year pledges so that people can afford to be involved and feel that they're part of this legacy of rebuilding Cedar Rapids,” Powers said.

Trees Forever hopes to celebrate the campaign’s success on Aug. 10, the four-year anniversary of the derecho.

To contribute to ReLeaf Cedar Rapids or get involved with fundraising and volunteering, visit TreesForever.org/ReLeaf.

Planting underway on private land

With 85 percent of trees lost being on private land, Trees Forever also is promoting private planting with a variety of programs to assist property owners and organizations.

Trees Forever offers community tree distributions twice a year to give 1,000 native trees to Cedar Rapids residents for $20 a tree, Development Director Heather Croskrey said.

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In 2022, Trees Forever piloted a neighborhood tree captains program to choose a volunteer from certain neighborhoods to connect with neighbors and see who wants a free tree. Up to 50 trees are provided. This year, five neighborhoods will be selected. A neighborhood planting day allows “the whole neighborhood comes out and it creates that sense of community as well as gets an entire neighborhood planted in one day,” said.

Through the tree voucher program, residents may sign up to take a one-hour class that teaches people how to plant and care for trees. After completing that class, people receive a gift certificate they can take to a local nursery to purchase a tree off the ReLeaf list of approved native species.

“This way we're also giving back to the community and making sure that we have people investing in our local businesses and it's incentivizing the businesses to purchase trees that are on our ReLeaf list,” Croskrey said.

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Plan prioritizes plantings in ‘heat islands,’ disadvantaged areas

The organization’s Campus Canopy 10+ program helps local businesses, nonprofits, housing associations or other groups replant. Organizations that need 10 or more trees may apply. Organizations provide volunteers, while Trees Forever brings the trees and the expertise and helps plant trees on the organization’s property. Powers said disadvantaged neighborhoods, mobile home courts and cemeteries also are eligible.

This effort considers where there are urban heat islands and where people are more reliant on public transit, and ensures trees are planted at bus stops or along common walking routes. Heat islands are areas with little tree cover and more pavement that capture heat and create heat pockets, posing a threat to public health.

The overall plan prioritized which parts of the city would see trees planted first based largely on equity — identifying socially disadvantaged neighborhoods and areas that have historically lacked trees.

It’s “really important to us to pay attention to that, and we work with the city directly on a massive plan to identify these communities and get trees in the right place,” Powers said. “Trees Forever really prides itself on right tree, right place, right time.”

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