Texas Flooding Tree Recovery Campaign Distributes Free New Trees This January 16-18

Wimberley, Texas, January 16-18, 2016 – The Texas Flooding Tree Recovery Campaign – a partnership between the Arbor Day Foundation, Texas A&M Forest Service and RETREET– will plant up to 200 fifteen-gallon trees this year for Wimberley, Texas, residents. These new trees will be free of charge, and help to replace trees damaged and destroyed by the central Texas flooding in May 2015.

Planting will take place at nearly 40 homes, as well as along the Blanco River riverbank, in Wimberley at 9 a.m. on Sunday, January 17. Three tree species will be included in the plantings.

The Texas Flooding Tree Recovery campaign is the second of more than ten individual state campaigns that will take place in 2016.

Community Tree Recovery program events across the nation are supported by national program sponsor FedEx, which has long supported communities in need through disaster relief and recovery.

Over Memorial Day weekend in 2015, more than 12 inches of rain fell along the watershed of the Blanco River. In just a few short hours, the river rose in Wimberley from roughly 5 feet to a crest just over 41 feet, far above the flood stage of 13 feet and well past the all-time peak level of 32 feet set in 1929. Tremendous flash flooding ensued as a result. Entire blocks of homes in Wimberley were swept away by a "tidal wave of water" (The Wall Street Journal). Officials reported 320 homes destroyed in town; 12 people lost their lives. Many of the centuries-old trees that lined the riverbank and formed a major part of Wimberley's identity were reduced to rubble.

Trees are assets to a community when properly planted and maintained. They help to improve the visual appeal of a neighborhood or shopping district, increase property values, reduce home cooling costs, remove air pollutants, and provide wildlife habitat, among many other benefits.

The Texas Flooding Tree Recovery campaign is a partnership between Texas A&M Forest Service, RETREET, and the Arbor Day Foundation. Financial support for this particular campaign is being provided by FedEx and Arbor Day Foundation members.

Campaign partners emphasize that more help is still needed to restore Wimberley to its pre-disaster condition. Anyone can donate online at www.arborday.org/recovery. With your help, we can begin to restore this beautiful Texas landscape.

About the Arbor Day Foundation: The Arbor Day Foundation is a million member nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information is available at arborday.org.

About RETREET: RETREET is a 501(c)(3) organization that provides disaster relief to affected communities by leading volunteers ("RETREETers") in replanting lost trees, one home at a time. To date, RETREETers have planted 3,695 trees at home sites across Texas, Missouri, Colorado, New York, Oklahoma, and Ontario, Canada, bringing comfort, hope, and joy to those in need. Through direct action and community engagement, RETREET offers a unique solution to an urgent problem at a relatively low cost.

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