Dexter Residents Affected by Tornado Receive Gift of Trees from Lodi Farms

Dexter residents were all smiles on Friday when construction crews from Lodi Farms in Ann Arbor rolled into town to deliver 22 brand new trees to the community.

Crews planted the trees along Central and Huron and Second streets, which were some of the hardest hit areas devastated by an that blew through the community on March 15.

"Dexter loves its trees," Daniel Riddle, co-owner of Lodi Farms said. "We've been raised with the belief that if you have a surplus of something, it's only right to share it with those who have less. This was a good fit for us because Dexter lost a lot of trees after the tornado hit."

Riddle said crews installed six different varities of trees in the neighborhoods in conjunction with the Village of Dexter's Arbor Day awareness event at the . Volunteers from the village handed out 150 tree seedlings to plant on their property.

Resident Andrea French lost six trees in the storm, and said she is very thankful for the donation.

"I really miss my blue spruces," she said. "It's expensive to replace trees, so to be a recepient of free trees from Lodi Farms makes me so happy. Words can't express how much this means to me."

Frank Psujek said four of his five trees were replaced by Lodi Farms, including a 3 1/2-diameter Sycamore tree that he said will help beautify one of the entrances into the village on Second Street.

"I didn't realize that we were going to be getting the trees so quickly," he said. "Lodi Farms is great, as far as I'm concerned."

Riddle said he was happy to donate the trees and enjoyed working with residents to determine which tree species would best fit with their property.

"We put a lot of smaller ornamental trees on Huron Street due to the power lines," he said. "It's all about finding the right planting for the right place. I had a lot of fun meeting with Dexter residents and educating them about the new trees."

Tree species included: Skyline Locusts, Snowdrift Crab, Greenspire linden, and Snowdrift Crabapple.

Resident Helen Crow said she lost eight trees from the tornado and was unaware that she would be receiving any replacements.

"It's wonderful. I need something in my front lawn to replace the trees I lost," Crow said. "I think the new trees are a fabulous addition to the community, and they will help us move on from the tornado."

In addition to the Lodi Farms donation, village officials planted roughly 14 trees on Dan Hoey Road and Kensington Street.