PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The City of St. Pete is working to restore its tree canopy.
Local leaders say many of the trees were destroyed during Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
WATCH: City of St. Pete works to replenish tree canopy
"It's just not a lot of trees like it used to be," said Worthy McGuire, who lives in Childs Park.
McGuire has lived in Childs Park in St. Petersburg for 20 years and said many of the trees in his neighborhood came down during Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“As I'm sitting here, there used to be a tree there that provided me a lot of shade, and that tree came down," said McGuire.
He said the community has been more focused on recovery over the last two years.
"People came, and they hauled a lot of debris, and so forth…and I don’t think there were a lot of trees replanted, because we were basically focused on the clean-up process," said McGuire.
According to local leaders, the city lost 20% of its tree canopy during the storms, and now it's a goal to restore those trees.
"We are helping our community recover its natural shade…we are helping combat fuel emissions," said Corey Givens Jr., St. Pete City Councilman.
The City of St. Pete will roll out new programs over the next few months to give away free trees to residents.
“Tree giveaways, neighborhood mini-grants, we have resident-focused initiatives to really try to restore our natural tree canopy," said Givens Jr.
McGuire said new trees will also help mask the air pollution emitted from a nearby oil refinery.
“It has like a foul smell…it lingers on for days and weeks sometimes," said McGuire.
McGuire hopes the trees will make a difference in his neighborhood.
“So that people can drive down this neighborhood, just like you drive downtown and say 'wow this is beautiful'…so I would like the same thing here," said McGuire.
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