18 City Trees
Contributors were asked to describe their flood-
ing event(s), share which tree species fared
well and which ones did not, and say what
changes in plant selection and general man-
agement they made based on lessons learned.
On June 13, 2008, the Cedar River crested at its high-
est level in history, at 31.1 feet (9.5 m). The previous record
reached only 20 feet (6.1 m). The flood waters penetrated 10
square miles (26 sq km) or 14 percent of the city. This monu-
mental flood impacted 7,198 parcels, including 5,390 houses,
dislocated more than 18,000 residents and damaged 310
municipal facilities.
Two prominent areas of Cedar Rapids, Timecheck and Czech
Flooding in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 2008 penetrated 14 percent of the city. USGS photo in the public domain.
S M A R O U N D T A B L E
Flooding and Tree Damage: Lessons and Surprises
Village, were hit especially hard. These two residential neigh-
borhoods are now unrecognizable to people who last saw them
before the flood. What were previously tree-lined residential
streets have been replaced with block after block of open lots.
The urban tree canopy in these areas, as well as the other
flood-impacted locations in the city, has also changed.
Starting the year after the flood, trees began to decline. For the
next several years, trees were removed as they succumbed to
the effects of the flood. While most of the trees were older or
had already been under some sort of stress, the losses occurred
across all species. Each year, all dead and dying trees were
removed from these areas. The following year however, trees
that appeared to be healthy during the previous inspection were
in serious decline or were dead. These losses continued for the
next four years, with most of the removals occurring two to three
years after the flood. The area finally stabilized in 2012.
