ASHEVILLE – Graves dot the terraced hillsides of Riverside Cemetery, broad oaks shading meandering paths and stone mausoleums, tree canopies blushing scarlet and amber. It’s a popular hangout for groundhogs and wild turkeys. House cats haunt the approach to the cemetery’s gate, peering lazily from nearby yards.
But in an abrupt departure from the tranquil scene, a tree lay lengthwise among the headstones on Oct. 31. Dirt caked its exposed root system, a raw reminder of the storm a month earlier.
The cemetery, which sits not far from the French Broad River, separated by Riverside Drive and I-26, avoided flooding from Tropical Storm Helene, but 50 trees were downed or leaning across the property’s 87 acres, and some monuments had visible damage, the city said.
Though Parks and Recreation spokesperson Christo Bubenik said the department doesn’t have a total number of trees within the cemetery, it estimates the downed trees represent close to 15%-20%.
The trees are a defining characteristic of the site, said former manager David Olson, who oversaw the cemetery for nearly 30 years. But after Tropical Storm Helene ravaged areas of Western North Carolina, its vistas are changed.