Alabama Tree Recovery Campaign

The Arbor Day Foundation has launched the Alabama Tree Recovery Campaign to repopulate Tuscaloosa’s tree canopy.

Forty-two people died from storm-related injuries when tornadoes hit Tuscaloosa, Alabama on April 27, 2011.

The “cost” of that loss of life is incalculable, but other aspects are not. A study released by the Alabama Center of Real Estate at the University of Alabama estimates it will cost $224 million to repair the city’s damage housing (5,144 homes damaged, representing 12.6 percent of the city's houses).

The cleanup and rebuilding will continue for years.

Federal emergency dollars for the city are tough to come by, particularly after the path of destruction left by Hurricane Irene. Tuscaloosa County officials hoped to get federal dollars to clean tornado debris from area creeks, but even that is on hold until Congress appropriates funds for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

Various fundraising efforts have been made. The PGA, for instance, is hosting a “Tee It Up Fore Tuscaloosa” event to benefit the Tuscaloosa Disaster Relief Fund.

Meanwhile, the Arbor Day Foundation has launched the Alabama Tree Recovery Campaign in response to efforts of the Alabama Forestry Commission to spearhead recovery of the area's trees and forests. For every dollar donated to the Arbor Day Foundation at www.arborday.org/Alabama, a tree will be delivered to an Alabama resident affected by the tornadoes.

The Arbor Day Foundation will deliver native trees at the best time for planting. The Alabama Forestry Commission will coordinate distribution of the trees in February 2012.