Mayor Kicks Off Chicago’s $2.3M Tree Investment at Local School

Chicago will plant about 3,800 trees in neighborhoods across the city this year through various programs and projects, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced at Friedrich Jahn World Language Elementary School.

Located at 3149 N. Wolcott St., the school sits on the border between Roscoe Village and Lake View.

“Chicago was one of the first cities where planting trees and urban forests were part of the City’s plan and design,” Emanuel said. “Planting and protecting our trees is part of Chicago’s past, but also an important part of creating a greener Chicago for our future.”

The Chicago Department of Transportation celebrated Arbor Day today with the planting of a total of 31 trees in the parkway and playground of Jahn Elementary Schoo. 

“The planting of trees is an important part of any infrastructure investment, and our many streetscape and development projects this year will be enhanced with new greenery,” said CDOT Commissioner Gabe Klein. “Not only do trees beautify our neighborhoods, but they clean our air, provide shade, and improve our quality of life to make our City in a Garden an even better place to live.”

Through the GreenStreets program and various infrastructure development projects, CDOT’s forestry crews will plant about 3,800 trees in neighborhoods across Chicago this year, which totals about $2.3 million of investment.

At Jahn Elementary, CDOT is planting a total of 31 trees of the following varieties along the parkway and inside the playground area:

• Six Swamp White Oaks
• One New Horizon Elm
• Three Patriot Elms
• Two Chicago Blues Black Locusts
• Three Kentucky Coffee Trees
• Sixteen Eastern Red Cedars, which were replanted from the winter seasonal displays in the planters around City Hall.

Each tree species has unique traits and function – such as urban tolerance, salt and drought tolerance, flood resistance, pest and disease resistance, beauty and form.  All are hardy to Chicago and the Midwest climate, and can be found elsewhere along the streets of Chicago. 

Chicago has an estimated 3.5 million trees on both public and private property, which cover more than 17 percent of the area, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Chicago’s urban forest removes about 25,200 tons of carbon per year and about 888 tons of air pollution annually.