This Decorah Master Arborist saw firsthand the damage done to trees by the derecho

Stevenson Tree Care founder Drew Stevenson spent the past week in Cedar Rapids, helping with the cleanup for the derecho storm which knocked down more than half of Cedar Rapids' trees with winds up to 140 miles an hour.

Stevenson tells decorahnews.com, "There is significant damage to trees and homes, reminiscent of a hurricane.  Most trees have some damage, and the winds were so strong that it blew most of the leaves off of the west side of the trees."

Before leaving for Cedar Rapids, Stevenson collected donations to take with him.  "The volunteers at the donation site were extremely impressed with how the residents of Decorah responded in sending so many donations," he says.

Cedar Rapids city arborist Todd Fagan has estimated about half its tree canopy is gone, which would place the dollar value of storm damage to just trees alone at $56 million.  The City of Cedar Rapids plans to do a complete survey of trees in the community to figure out how to replant and to arrive at an official final damage figure.

Stevenson says Decorah residents who want to continue to help should donated to "Iowa Derecho Storm Resource," which has a Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/974094406389442