The all-volunteer organization is currently raising $10,000 via tax-deductible donations and grants to give away 200 trees between this fall and next spring to help restore and add to the pre-tornado tree canopy of Bowling Green.

Daily walks for Bowling Green resident Clara Verst and her Scottish Terrier named Beam Me Up haven’t been the same since the EF-3 tornado hit Bowling Green last year. 

“This used to be like the neatest alley to run down or to walk your dog down. You could just stand here and there were just trees all the way down, and now most of them are gone,” Verst told said while walking through the alleyway that sits behind the house she lives in with her husband. 

Joining Verst was a walk down memory lane because she remembers what kinds of trees her neighborhood, near Covington Woods Park, lost. One stump Verst pointed out used to support an oak tree.

“I mean, look at the size of that thing and just imagine how big that thing was. It’s just, it’s just devastating,” she said while pointing out the stump.

Verst serves as co-chairperson of Bowling Green’s Tree Advisory Board, an organization founded by the city in 1994 that advocates for urban forestry. However, grief over the loss of so many neighborhood trees has spurred her to into action to start Re-Tree BG.

The all-volunteer organization is made up of Verst and a handful of other Bowling Green residents.

“There were all kinds of houses destroyed, and businesses destroyed, but you have economic drivers that will make sure those things are re-done because there’s a monetary value to having those things re-done,” she explained. “But, if we don’t take a concerted effort to re-plant these trees, they are not going to come back.”

To help replenish Bowling Green’s tree canopy, Re-Tree BG is giving away one native tree for free, four to six feet tall, to city residents who lost one or more trees because of last year’s tornado. All residents have to do is fill out a form, and then a volunteer will reach out to do a site consultation to recommend the ideal location and type of tree for the location.

The first 50 trees will be given away on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, and more tree giveaways will be scheduled as funding and the number of volunteers allows. 

Verst said each tree will also come with a watering bag and a bag of mulch. The total cost to Re-Tree BG, she added, is just under $50 to give away one tree, so the organization is currently raising $10,000. The plan is to give away 100 trees this fall and another 100 next spring.

“We hope to do this every year for several years to try to make a dent in the thousands of trees lost in the tornado,” Verst said. 

Bowling Green’s City Parks Arborist Jared Weaver told Spectrum News that trees on public property, such as the city’s parks, were largely spared so it’s private property that saw the most tree canopy damage after last year’s tornado. 

“Where you couldn’t see two houses deep on a street, now you can see all the way across the neighborhood. There’s a lot more sunlight pouring in, a lot less shade from those trees, and it just changes the whole character of the neighborhood. It’s devastating,” Weaver said.

Besides changing the character of the neighborhood, Weaver added the loss of trees also means the loss of other benefits they provide.

“They are what we call green infrastructure, and they do very important things for us, including shading our homes to reduce the amount of electricity, particularly in the heat of the summer. They also slow down storm water runoff,” he said. “Without having the trees to absorb and slow down that storm water runoff, we have a lot more storm water enter our storm system, which puts a lot more stress on that.”

So far, Verst said over 40 people have requested a tree. 

“When you go through and read the comments, I mean, it’s just gut wrenching,” she said. “Honestly, some of these people, you can tell that they are just in mourning for their trees.”

If you are a Bowling Green resident interested in getting a tree re-planted in your yard, you can fill out this form online. At this time, only one tree per household will be provided. 

If you are interested in helping to re-plant trees, you can volunteer or give a tax-deductible donation. To give a tax-deductible donation, go to this link, choose “Re-Tree BG” under the “Use this donation for” drop down box, and then you can make your donation.

You can also send a check to Operation Pride at 1141 State St., Bowling Green, KY 42101 with a designation for Re-Tree BG on the check’s “For” line.