Leesburg Replaces Portion Of Trees Lost In February Tornado

LEESBURG, VA — The town of Leesburg transplanted 29 trees that were set to be removed as part of the Route 7 and Battlefield Interchange construction project to areas of the town where an estimated 81 trees were knocked down during the tornado that hit Leesburg in February.

The trees were re-planted in the Route 15 Bypass/Battlefield interchange, Robinson Park, Raflo Park, and Ida Lee Park areas.

“It is truly great that we can take condemned trees and give them new life in another part of town,” Leesburg Urban Forester Tyler Wright said Wednesday in a statement. “These trees have been strategically placed to not only replace the canopy lost during the storm but to keep our town cleaner, greener, cooler and safer."

The Feb. 7 tornado, measured as an EF-0, did not cause any injuries. Widespread tree damage was found in the the vicinity of Lounsberry Road NE and the Exeter subdivision, which are north of Edwards Ferry Road and south of Battlefield Parkway NE, the National Weather Service said.

The majority of the trees are more than eight inches in diameter, at 4.5 feet above the ground level, and between 30- to 45-feet tall. “It’s not every day you see a large tree like this being moved,” Wright said. “In the long run, I think we made the correct decision to save these trees.”

Tree Movers LLC helped the town of Leesburg with moving the trees to their new locations.