Thousands of trees were damaged in Beltrami County in last weekend's powerful storms that packed winds of 120 miles per hour, leaving landowners left to remove literally acres of downed wood.
The sound of chainsaws filled the air for days following the storm - with many mourning the loss of the trees.
"There's space for acknowledging, you know, our grief and loss in our communities as well as understanding that this is just one part of the cycle of disturbances that forests go through."
That is University of Minnesota Extension educator Anna Stockstad. She says the wood from the downed trees doesn't necessarily need to go into a landfill either. It can go to some good places.
"You know, a lot of those really massive trees can be used to make long-lived wood products such as furniture, or go forward towards building materials for homes," explains Stockstad.
There will be a great opportunity for re-growth as well. Stockstad says hopefully people will find ways to promote the health and resilience of the trees going forward.
But, Stockstad says from an ecological point of view? It's all a part of the natural order.
"But of course, from the human side of things, it's extremely difficult for us as humans and communities to see these trees that we probably have a lot of memories and stories connected to, to see those come down," she adds.
There are arborists in the area as well, helping homeowners figure out what to do next.
"Just because a tree has been damaged, doesn't mean it necessarily needs to come down," Stockstad explains. "So an arborist can help home homeowners and landowners make those types of decisions."
The area faced hurricane type winds during significant thunderstorms last weekend. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz surveyed the damage earlier this week, and called it "unprecedented."