The Brief
TEMPE, Ariz. - Last week's microburst in Tempe left behind more than just damage—it left hundreds of uprooted trees. Instead of ending up in the landfill, some are getting a second life, thanks to one local sawmill.
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After the storm, dozens of trees in Tempe were left split, uprooted, or broken. Rather than let these trees rot or be hauled to a dump, they are being turned into furniture.
"So those trees, I didn't want them to go to the landfill," said William Hemphill, Sawmill Manager. "So we arranged with Corey, the landscaper, to drop them off here so that we could process them into lumber."
More than 40 tons of logs from the microburst have already been unloaded at Wine Glass Bar Sawmill.
"Most of this microburst affected acacia trees and mesquite tree