Joplin in the news at NPR this week

Joplin, Missouri, it's rebuilding and their trees are in the NPR news coverage yesterday:

Joplin's New Trees Struggle To Survive Amid Drought

Saplings — no more than 6 feet tall — dot the landscape in Joplin, Mo. They replace the large shade trees that were ripped out of the ground by a massive tornado that swept through town in May of 2011.

Nearly 7,000 new trees, donated by various organizations, have been planted. They include sturdy, mostly native, varieties, such as oak, sycamore and redbud — trees that can withstand strong winds when they're taller.

The path of a powerful tornado is seen in an aerial photo over Joplin on May 24, 2011.
With temperatures above normal for the past few months and precipitation below normal, those trees have had a hard time taking root.

Volunteers, though, are giving the 562 trees planted in Joplin's city parks a hand. Lugging heavy, 5-gallon plastic buckets from faucets to trees in the searing heat, they pour water onto the base of the trees, a little at a time, allowing it to slowly soak into the roots.

In Cunningham Park, which was rebuilt after the tornado obliterated it, 161 saplings were planted, each representing someone killed in the storm.

"It's hot and it hurts to bend over for a long time, but these trees symbolize the people who died, so it's important to me and the people who live here," says Drew Shuburte, a member of the Hayti First United Methodist Church.

Rest of the story here: http://www.npr.org/2012/08/11/158610662/joplins-new-trees-struggle-to-survive-amid-drought