Arbor Day Foundation Hosts Tree Distribution On Anniversary of Omaha Tornado Outbreak
200 free trees will be available for homeowners impacted by the 2024 disaster
LINCOLN, Nebraska (April 21, 2025) – On the one-year anniversary of the Arbor Day tornado outbreak, the Arbor Day Foundation will help distribute 200 free trees to homeowners impacted by the storms. The distribution event will be held at Ta-Ha-Zouka Park in Elkhorn on Saturday, April 26 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
“We’ve aided in natural disaster recovery efforts all over the country, but as a Nebraska-based nonprofit, the impact of this storm felt deeply personal for our team,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “In the wake of devastation, reestablishing lost tree canopy is a key part of recovery. It reminds us that even in dark times, we are resilient. Trees are a source of healing and its meaningful for us to help root hope in the communities we share with our friends, families, and neighbors.”
The Arbor Day Foundation has been heavily invested in assisting disaster-affected communities and forestlands since Hurricane Katrina made landfall in 2005 and has planted and distributed millions of trees as a result. The work has aided recovery efforts following tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, and floods.
The Arbor Day Foundation is collaborating with local planting partner American Reforestation Initiative (ARI). This distribution marks the launch of ARI’s new 10-year program called ‘Replant Omaha’, which is aimed at restoring 25,000 trees in the Omaha-area over the next decade. Homeowners can reserve their tree ahead of Saturday’s event at americanreforest.net/replantomaha.
"American Reforestation Initiative is very grateful for this opportunity to work with Arbor Day Foundation and the give back to the Omaha Community. This event will mark the first installment of the Replant Omaha Initiative, and we are excited to get this program kicked off with so much anticipation around the city," said Alan Weiss, president of the American Reforestation Initiative.
On April 26, 2024, two dozen tornadoes tore across 200 miles of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. According to the National Weather Service, they were the strongest tornadoes seen in the region in nearly a decade. The disaster occurred on National Arbor Day, which is recognized annually on the last Friday in April.
Click here to learn more about the Foundation’s disaster recovery efforts.
About the Arbor Day Foundation
The Arbor Day Foundation is a global nonprofit inspiring people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. They foster a growing community of more than 1 million leaders, innovators, planters, and supporters united by their bold belief that a more hopeful future can be shaped through the power of trees. For more than 50 years, they’ve answered critical need with action, planting more than half a billion trees alongside their partners. And this is only the beginning.
The Arbor Day Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit pursuing a future where all life flourishes through the power of trees. Learn more at arborday.org.
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