The Children's Forest

Located in Kennedy Park, the Children's Forest got a makeover in 2021. The Webster County staff needed to remove ash trees in the park that were previously killed by the borer and are brittle enough to break easily. Instead of removing the trees completely, the staff contacted Des Moines area tree artist Gary Keenan to carve the stumps into characters from The Lorax book. These carvings are now part of the Storywalk, a .3 mile trail that winds its way through the Children's Forest, where a nature-themed book is deconstructed and posted along the trail. The stories will be changed out throughout the year and posted on the Webster County Conservation Facebook page.