One Year Later: Reflections on Missoula's 2024 Windstorm

​By Susan Teitelman, Trees for Missoula Program Lead

It's hard to believe it's been a year since the devastating windstorm swept through Missoula. Last July's "treemageddon" left hundreds of trees uprooted or in need of removal and thousands more injured. Power lines fell, property was damaged, and neighborhoods were left without power for days. But in the aftermath of this detrimental event, our community came together to clean up the widespread destruction. Local government, businesses, and citizen volunteers assessed tree damage, removed debris, and offered residents a place to take their trees and branches.

The storm highlighted the strength of our community and amplified our awareness of just how much Missoulians love trees! The storm also served as a reminder that we must continue to grow our urban forest -- in a thoughtful, forward-thinking, climate-smart way. In that spirit, our Trees for Missoula program has forged ahead with our work to build a robust tree canopy and a community of tree stewards. This past year, we've planted trees in neighborhoods that need it most and ramped up our Tree Ambassadors program to ensure trees are cared for into the future. To make sure residents feel empowered to plant trees in their own yards, we've developed an (ever-evolving) list of recommended climate resilient trees to plant and we're pursuing funding to help residents plant new trees on their properties.

Many of you have been involved in our efforts since the storm and we're so grateful for you! If you'd like get involved in our work, check out our volunteer opportunities or sign up for our email list. We look forward to growing our climate resilient, community-centric urban forest with you!