Create an Urban Forestry Advisory Board for the City of Chicago

Establish an Urban Forestry Advisory Board for the City of Chicago

Trees on public parks, parkways, and rights-of-way are important parts of Chicago’s infrastructure. They shade our parks, beautify our streets, absorb our stormwater, and make our buildings more comfortable. All these ‘ecosystem services’ make Chicago more affordable, livable, and resilient to an increasingly volatile climate.

But these benefits do not come freely. Dedicated members of City government, nongovernment partners, and thousands of volunteer residents work hard to care for Chicago’s trees. They prune healthy trees, remove unhealthy ones, and replace them with new trees. Collectively, these stakeholders have established an urban forest that shades 19% of the City.

Now, natural and man-made threats are overwhelming the capacity of these individuals to sustain the City’s public trees. Trees face growing threats from pests like the emerald ash borer and pathogens that cause sudden oak death and Dutch elm disease. Chicago has overcome similar threats in the past through strong public action, but these efforts have waned. Funds to plant trees have been constrained, removals of healthy trees have increased, and maintenance of existing trees is neglected or done in ways that damage them. This leaves Chicago’s trees in a precarious place – in the path of devastating natural pests and a changing climate without strong partnerships or adequate resources to protect them.

We want to re-establish a strong partnership between the City of Chicago and its nongovernment stakeholders. We want to discuss ideas about how to better care for the City’s trees, supplement public with private resources, coordinate partners’ efforts, engage residents, and recommend needed changes to City policies and procedures.

We ask for your help to accomplish this by advancing an ordinance that convenes an Urban Forestry Advisory Board. This Board will be comprised of key members of city agencies, City Council, the private tree care industry, nongovernment organizations, and other influential stakeholders in order to represent diverse perspectives on the pressing problems facing Chicago’s urban forest.

We look forward to your support. You can do even more by contacting your Chicago Alderman directly through our easy-to-use advocacy alert linked here. Thank you!

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