CARBONDALE - The May 8 wind storm left about 3,100 trees downed in the Carbondale. In the wake of that loss, city officials announced last week that the city would launch an effort to plant trees throughout town.

Mayor Brad Cole said Moday that, with the city still working to clear debris, planting new trees will have to wait.

"We are not ready to move into that just yet," he said. "We are going to be putting together a plan to plant some decorative trees but, at this point, we haven't gotten that far."

Cole said he expects the replanting to be included in the city's FY 2011 budget and that the city has no shortage of places to plant.

"It was a city-wide storm so we're going to have to look at the whole community," Cole said. "We will be identifying ways to replant and establish some new growth but that will be a while from now. We'll be looking for some guidance from some experts."

Carbondale has received the Arbor Day Foundation's Tree City USA designation for 18 years, the group's Web site shows.

"So we have a commitment to maintaining a solid tree base which is unfortunately what caused some of the trouble last week," Cole said.

While the city's plans for planting wait private citizens are replanting their properties.

Mike Kasky, of Kasky's Tree Service in Murphysboro, has spent much of the last week working to remove brush, branches and debris. But, in the midst of that work his customers are asking him to plant new vegetation he said.

"Lots of people are wanting to get bushes and shrubbery, not trees," he said. "They don't want anything tall anymore."

While working on a property in a Carbondale neighborhood Kasky said he's served four other homeowners, each of whom asked that new plants be transplanted. Kasky was quick to note that he's not planting seeds.

"The trees we're planting are anywhere between 4 and 8 feet tall and the shrubs are between 3 and 6 feet," he said.

And while planting is now a part of most jobs Kasky said debris removal remains the single biggest job and one he's sees continuing for the next couple weeks.

blackwell.thomas@thesouthern.com / 618-351-5823