The City of West Chicago was awarded a $25,000 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 Partner Grant Program, and are administered by The Morton Arboretum and the Chicago Region Trees Initiative (CRTI).
“The City of West Chicago is thrilled to be awarded these grant funds to complete a comprehensive tree inventory,” said West Chicago City Administrator Michael Guttman. “Trees play a significant role in our daily lives and are vital assets of this community. The funding will help protect one of the most critical infrastructure of the City.”
The City plans to utilize the grant funds to complete a Citywide parkway tree inventory in its Geographic Information System (GIS) as well as to prepare an Urban Forestry Management Plan.
The inventory will provide the City with a better understanding of the urban forest areas it is managing by revealing an estimated number of trees, their size, condition and species. The inventories will also identify opportunities to increase planting, and will inform the development of a comprehensive, long-term urban forest management plan.