Arbor Advocates: Join us the effort!
The Arbor Advocates are a citizen advisory group dedicated to helping the Community Park District in its mission to protect, preserve, and improve our tree population in La Grange Park. For more information, or to find out how you can help us help trees, email arboradvocates@communityparkdistrict.org.
2025 Meeting Schedule: Monday March 10th, 2025 (6:00-6:30PM)
Monday June 9th, 2025 (6:00-6:30PM)
Monday September 8th, 2025 (6:00-6:30PM)
Monday December 8th, 2025 (5:30-6:00PM)
Tree Management Plan Action Items
Winter of
2024/2025:
·
CPD
was awarded a CRTI grant to plant 4 trees in Spring 2025
·
Homer
Tree was contracted to prune all trees in Stone Monroe and Beach Oak Parks.
·
CPD
Staff pruned all trees planted in 2024 for structure and health
·
Staff
attended the Urban and Community Forestry Forum “Confirm before Diagnosis Jump
through Hoops, Not to Conclusions” which covered tree pest and disease identification
topics
·
Superintendent
of Parks Sara Earhart presented at the 2025 IPRA Soaring to New Heights
Conference on the subject of “Best Practices in Tree Planting”
Fall of 2024:
- Fall Arbor Advocates Volunteer
Planting Day installed 2 trees in Memorial Park near La Grange Rd thanks
to a grant from the Chicago Regional Tree Initiative
- 4 new trees were planted by staff
in Beach Oak Park thanks to a grant from the Chicago Regional Tree
Initiative
- Park District staff removed one
dying tree at Beach Oak Park and replaced with a new tree
- Homer Tree removed 5 stumps in
Hanesworth Park
- Winkler Tree removed a large
storm damaged limb hanging over the Robinhood Tennis Courts
- Our Superintendent of Parks Sara
Earhart spoke at the Chicago Regional Tree Initiative “Urban Forestry
Basic Training”, and at the Illinois Arborist Association Fall “Arborist
Exam Prep Course” classes
- CPD hosted Nazareth Academy for a
Volunteer Day in Memorial Park. Students mulched trees around the park.
Spring of
2024:
- A Total of 34 trees were planted
this spring!
- At our Arbor Day Celebration
April 26th, 2 native trees and 1 memorial tree were planted in Robinhood
Park
- For our May 16th Volunteer
planting day, 10 native trees were planted in Memorial Park thanks to a
grant from the Chicago Regional Tree Initiative
- 10 new trees were planted in
Robinhood park thanks to a grant from Trees Forever
- 1 replacement tree was planted in
Memorial Park amphitheater
- The Chicago Regional Tree
Initiative generously donated 10 additional trees, which were planted in
Stone Monroe, Robinhood and Memorial Parks
- Parks staff removed one dead tree
at Memorial and one dead tree at Hanesworth Park
- Homer Tree removed two hazardous
trees at Memorial Park
- Great Lakes Urban Forestry is
scheduled to conduct appraisal of trees at Yena Park
- Trees planted in fall 2023 and
spring 2024 were appropriately wrapped to protect them from 17 year cicada
emergence.
Winter of
2023/2024:
- CPD was awarded a Chicago
Regional Tree Initiative grant to plant 10 native trees in Memorial Park.
A volunteer day was scheduled to plant those trees.
- Homer Tree was contracted to
prune all trees in Robinhood Park.
- Homer tree was contracted to
remove 1 tree was in Robinhood and 1 tree in Yena. All trees removed had
posed a hazard to park patrons because of their poor condition.
- CPD staff removed dead hanging
branches from trees in Yena.
- CPD staff removed invasive and
weed trees from the eastern fence line at Robinhood park and stump treated
to prevent resprouts.
Fall of 2023:
- CPD hired new Superintendent of
Parks Sara Earhart, an ISA Certified Arborist.
- 10 trees planted. 1 at Stone
Monroe, 2 at Yena, 3 at Robinhood, 4 at Memorial.
- CPD staff removed 3 trees removed
in Hanesworth, 1 tree in Yena. All trees removed had posed a hazard to
park patrons because of their poor condition.
- Illinois Arborist Association was
contracted to teach CPD staff a Municipal Arborist Training Course on
Chainsaw Safety, Operation and Maintenance and Tree Pruning.
- CPD staff attended the annual
Illinois Arborist Association tradeshow and classes.
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Community Park District Arborist Training Day
Community Park District Urban Forestry Management Plan
An urban forest management plan is an action plan; it gives public works agencies detailed information, recommendations, and resources needed to effectively and proactively manage public trees.
The Community Park District of La Grange Park was awarded a $8,265 grant to complete tree inventories and develop a management plan for its urban forest.
The funds were provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Urban and Community Forestry Core Grant Program and administered by The Morton Arboretum and the Chicago Region Trees Initiative (CRTI).
The Community Park District of La Grange Park Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted the plan at the April 11, 2022 board meeting.