In Kansas, summer brings on strong storms, and in some cases, tornadoes. These storms can cause extensive damage to people and their communities, which is why I want to take a moment to talk about an ongoing success story in a small community in northwest Kansas.

 

On May 18, 2025, a cyclic supercell developed in south-central Kansas and produced five EF-3 tornadoes across the state. One of these tornadoes hit the town of Grinnell, causing millions of dollars in damage. Grinnell has a population of 243, and the tornado hit the western half of the town. In the aftermath, many people and communities banded together to send aid and labor to rebuild the small community. The Kansas Forest Service also reached out to offer labor, and Grinnell agreed to our help.

 

 

Our help focused on three major objectives that would eventually lead to grant opportunities and, ultimately, produce a healthy, resilient canopy for the residents of Grinnell. 

We reached these objectives in April of this year and have since been helping Grinnell apply for grants to help cover some of the costs of recovery. With the initial objectives out of the way, it’s now time for the groundwork. This will take multiple years and a collaborative effort to reach the final step toward a healthy, resilient canopy for the community. Most of the clean-up and removals are done, using the CTAP management plan to identify trees that need removal and a triage approach to tree pruning and maintenance. It’s now time to find the appropriate trees for planting locations.

 

Replacement trees have been obtained through various methods. Some have come from providing replacement trees for the Callery Pears in the community through the our Callery Pear Buyback program, others have been through non-profits like Magnificent Inc to help provide trees and educational programs to the community. Other trees have been purchased from nurseries. No matter where the trees are obtained the species are cross referenced through the management plan to maintain proper canopy diversity and the recommended tree list for northwest Kansas produced by the Kansas Forest Service.

 

 

While the storm has changed the community forever, the grit of Grinnell is inspiring. With initial cleanup tackled, it’s now time to rebuild, and while the focus is, of course, on the property and ensuring the necessities are handled, tree selection is being considered with care. 

 

With camaraderie and support from the surrounding community, I cannot wait to see how the town rebuilds!