Kansas City, Mo. ? Thousands of trees will soon be planted in Kansas and Missouri as part of a campaign to replace those felled or battered in Januarys ice storm.

A coalition of conservation groups and businesses aims to plant 50,000 new trees by next summer. But the group also wants to make sure the new trees are hardy and planted away from power lines so they dont contribute to the sort of damage experienced in January.

The storm that swept across Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri knocked out power to about a million homes, caused more than $50 million in damage and led to federal disaster declarations in 123 counties.

Tree branches weighed down by ice cracked and fell on power lines, cars and homes. The storm damaged about two-thirds of the trees in a 40-mile wide swath across the three states, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said.

The campaign, called The Right Tree in the Right Place, will begin this fall and extend into spring, said Helene Miller, a forester for the Missouri Department of Conservation. Agencies and cities in Missouri and Kansas will participate.

We do want trees replaced, Miller said. But we want them to be the right trees in the right place.

Fall is a very good time to plant trees, and we dont want people to miss it. It gets trees settled in by winter and ready to grow next spring.

Organizers also want to help homeowners get maximum shade and beauty from trees that are hardy and resistant to damage.

The group has created a Web site, www.righttreerightplace.com, that offers property owners tips on tree varieties and planting locations. There also will be tree planting seminars, and special education programs will be offered for neighborhood groups.