Photo: Sara Wittmeyer/WFIU
This tree at the IU Arboretum is one of more than 300 felled recently on campus.
The Indiana Arborist Association is assessing the health of trees across the state. This is in light of tornadoes and the unusually strong storms this spring.
They say the Indiana University campus lost approximately 300 trees this season. IAA president Mark Poliak says the drought last summer and recent heavy rains have left many trees with weaker root structures.
“Normally if you can bring a tree back with most of the roots intact, it will more than likely survive for a short period of time, but if you’ve blown the tree all the way over and all the roots are out of the ground, it’s kind of a hard way to go, especially if it’s an older tree,” said Poliak.
Meanwhile, Indiana University officials say it will take months to clean up the damage and years to replace all the trees.
