Arbor Day marks the start of grant-funded work

La Grange, Illinois, April 22, 2021 – The Park District of La Grange (PDLG) was awarded a $10,050 grant to complete a tree inventory and develop a management plan for its urban forest. The PDLG Board of Commissioners are generously donating an Arbor Day tree to be planted at Denning Park to celebrate this award and the start of the work ahead.

The funds were provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forestry 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).

“A tree inventory and management plan are tools that will serve to create a Tree Protection/Preservation Ordinance for the Park District of La Grange. We want to ensure the responsibility of the care and diversity of our tree canopy, now and into the future,” said Claudia Galla, Park District Foreman. “Trees are not just an aesthetic but an important natural resource in the community.”

Grant funds will primarily be used to contract with Great Lakes Urban Forestry Management to execute a tree inventory and develop a management plan for the Park District. The management plan will be finalized with the input of the District’s Tree Advisory Committee. The Committee will meet regularly throughout the grant period to focus on the research and development of a Tree Protection/Preservation Ordinance, marketing activities and staff education. All Grant activities are to be completed by August 1, 2022.

The grant provides communities with a better understanding of the urban forest area they are managing by reveling an estimated number of trees, their size, condition and species. The inventories will also identify opportunities to increase planting, and will form the development of a comprehensive, long-term urban forest management plan.

“Urban trees are critical infrastructure for a community, and this funding helps protect one of its most important resources,” said Lydia Scott, director of CRTI. “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.”