“As we got farther away from the storm,” Maurer said, “it was less and less on people’s minds, naturally: ‘That was so long ago, I forgot about it.’ The money starts to dry up …

“It could be a little frustrating.”

That dynamic was made more complicated by the 2008 financial crash.

“We didn’t feel like we could beg for money,” Maurer said. “We’re not a charity that is absolutely of utmost importance to our area. Certainly I’d rather not go to somebody and say, ‘Don’t give that money to Children’s Hospital, leukemia or March of Dimes, and give it to me, because I’m going to plant some trees.’ ”

The Re-Tree organizers decided that slowing down would be acceptable, and even planting a few hundred trees – just a tiny fraction of the overall goal – could be viewed as progress. That’s what happened here on South Park Avenue: On one morning 10 years ago, volunteers and residents teamed up to plan 360 trees along a two-mile stretch of the road. Today, it adds a park-like feel to what otherwise would be a largely gray, concrete-and-asphalt landscape.