Management Plan, Planting Among Glenview Tree Initiatives

Press release from the Village of Glenview:

April 16, 2021

The Village of Glenview was recently awarded an $8,000 grant to complete tree inventories and develop a management plan for its suburban forest.

The funds were provided by the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Urban and Community Forestry Core Grant Program, and administered by The Morton Arboretum and the Chicago Region Trees Initiative (CRTI).

The grant will enable Glenview to gain a better understanding of the suburban forest areas it manages by reviewing its estimated number of trees and their size, condition and species. The analysis will identify opportunities to increase planting, and will inform the development of a comprehensive, long-term urban forest management plan.

“Trees are critical infrastructure for a community, and this funding helps to protect one of its most important resources,” Lydia Scott, director of CRTI, stated. “Trees clean our air and water, reduce flooding and heat, improve our mental and physical health, and provide important habitat for birds and other wildlife.”

The Village entered into a contract with Great Lakes Urban Forestry Management of Batavia to undertake the analysis and create the Urban Forestry Management Plan. The firm has performed dozens of such plans for public lands agencies and private entities, including the Glenview Park District in 2020. Glenview’s is expected to be completed this fall.

The plan for the Village will include guidelines for engaging residents, local businesses and other local stakeholders in tree planting and maintenance.

“Trees provide residents with significant benefits,” Henrietta Saunders, chair of the Village’s Natural Resources Commission, stated. “This plan will help us encourage residents to plant more trees and keep up our suburban canopy.”

For a 36th year, the Village has been designated a Tree City USA by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the National Arbor Day Foundation. This honor reflects the Village’s longstanding commitment to maintain the more than 26,000 estimated parkway trees. The Village has consistently stepped up to meet the challenges of tree preservation in the face of insect and disease problems, such as the emerald ash borer infestation.

With that history of commitment, the Village Board of Trustees voted April 8, 2021 to join the Plant Trees for Communities Initiative, a year-long campaign kicked off this month by the Chicago Region Trees Initiative. Plant Trees for Communities is an effort to get one tree planted in each community and Chicago ward in 2021, for a total of 390 trees. This effort will be met in Glenview on April 30, Arbor Day, when a tree is planted at Glenbrook South High School. The tree will be identified by a commemorative tree tag.

To learn more about trees, go online to http://chicagorti.org/ To learn about Glenview’s Heritage Tree Program, go online to https://www.glenview.il.us/abo...

This press release was produced by the Village Of Glenview. The views expressed here are the author's own.