A new initiative is coming into view for the Dallas County Conservation Board to get people out and about. 

DCCB Outreach Coordinator Sarah Gilchrist says with the derecho that came through the area last year, DCCB is encouraging people to replace some of those lost trees with native species that may be more pest resistant and better acclimated to the weather. 

“With the derecho we lost a lot of trees. I’ve seen a lot of different statistics on the different tree and canopy loss. Upwards of 25-percent and more, even depending on the area, and so we as a department are really encouraging people to replace what they’ve lost.”

Gilchrist says the goal for this initiative is to teach people about what trees are considered native to Iowa, the best ways to plant them and how to identify them. Gilchrist hopes this helps people get out in nature this year. 

“Trees sometimes have a very integral part in people’s lives and so giving people a platform to talk about those stories, that is one of the goals under that initiative that we are trying to accomplish as well.”

For more information on the Big Trees of Dallas County initiative you can go here.