Planting and maintaining a healthy urban forest in our community
The Park District of Oak Park maintains an urban forest composed of 2,588 trees spread across our parks and properties, with 104 different species. Every day, the Park District’s team works in our parks, ensuring that each tree is receiving the care it needs to thrive.
Trees are an essential part of a healthy community. The Chicagoland area is classified as a heat island: it is warmer than the surrounding suburbs and rural parts of Illinois due to the large amounts of surfaces, like roads and buildings, absorbing heat. Heat islands lead to higher energy costs and have also been tied to decreased quality of life.
Planting trees is one of the best ways to fight this phenomenon. Urban forests create shade, filter air and water, add beauty, reduce noise, provide places for recreation, and ultimately mitigate the heat island, leading to greater community wellbeing.
This month, the Park District planted 24 trees across Maple Park, Euclid Park, the Gymnastics & Recreation Center, Rehm Park, Austin Gardens, Carroll Park, Longfellow Park, Fox Park, and Lindberg Park.
When deciding where to plant new trees, the Park District prioritizes parks that have had tree removals, whether due to storm damage, or other reasons. For every tree that is removed, two are planted.
The Park District plants trees based on our ‘recommended’ list of species that are well-suited to Oak Park soils and climate. Species include hackberry, dogwood, aspen, bald cypress, linden, and more.
The Park District is in the process of creating and instating an Urban Forestry Management Plan. This plan will guide goals, budgets, and best practices for urban forest management, with the ultimate goal of increasing and diversifying canopy cover and maximizing the benefits trees offer our community.
Want to learn more about Park District urban forest? Click here to view our interactive tree inventory, fact sheets, and more.
