Ice-coated tree limbs around St. Joseph were tragically lovely last week. And though many trees droop or have snapped under the weight of ice, area officials aren’t sure how many trees have been lost yet.

So far, said Andy Clements, the city’s assistant director of public works, officials are still cleaning up trees that have fallen on power lines and in roads. Next will be removals. Then they’ll see the real damage.

In the ice storm of 1994, the News-Press reported an estimated loss of between 5 percent and 10 percent of the trees in St. Joseph. And it took about four months then to really understand how much damage was done, said Bill France, the city’s assistant parks director.

During that storm, Lisa Wisdom-Strayer stood on her front porch listening to trees falling. She and her husband, Rex Strayer, lost a large elm and power for seven days. They’ve moved since and haven’t lost any trees or power this year, but Mrs. Wisdom-Strayer said, “I really think the damage was more this time.”

One reason that the damage hasn’t affected them, though, is a lesson learned from the storm of 1994.

“That’s why I always trim my trees,” Mrs. Wisdom-Strayer says. “I know my tree man on a personal basis.”

With this storm, once the ice has melted, Mr. Clements said, trees that suffered splits will reveal their true damage. “It’s probably in the hundreds,” he said. “Could be more.”

Mr. France said the city has two crews out around the clock for cleanup and estimated that in the Noyes Boulevard, Ashland Avenue and Krug Park areas, “there’s over 500 trees that need attention.”

They try to plant two trees for every one lost, he said, and by the time people are ready to mow their lawns, Mr. France hopes the damage will be forgotten. But the storm won’t.

“It’s a beautiful scene,” Mr. France said. “But it’s sad that it’s done so much damage. But it’s beautiful to look out there and see the sun and the ice and the trees.”