Parkway Trees

Public Works Street Division maintains all parkway trees. The City does not maintain shrubs or perennials planted in the City right-of-way.

Tree Inventory 

A consultant completed a tree inventory and a management plan for the City in early 2020. The May 2020 plan document, and inventory can be viewed through the following links:

• Tree Management Plan dated May 2020 (Link to PDF of plan). 
• Map of tree inventory (Link to City's GIS maps).

Tree Management and Planting Plan

The management and planting plan approved by City Council in December 2022, aims to increase City tree canopy, and diversify tree species throughout the community. A full memo of staff recommendations and description of new and past management plan can be found under Related Documents. Components of the plan include:

• Annually, $30,000 in the General Fund dedicated to planting new trees, and replacement trees in the parkway.
• Prune 20% of the non-Route 56 trees each year. 
• City staff evaluates the program annually, to determine if adjustments to the process are needed. 
• Staff investigates and applies for grant funding opportunities, as appropriate.

Planting Process

• Evaluate information from maps on the Chicago Regional Tree Initiative (CRTI) and Tree Equity Score websites, and the City’s tree inventory, to determine targeted area to focus planting each year.
• The choices of tree species offered each year factor in the goal of tree diversity.
• Staff confirms the feasibility of planting a tree at each requested location. 
• The City pays for the trees. 
• City staff coordinates with residents on their requests. 
• Plantings will take place in the fall. 

Targeted Areas for 2025

In 2025, staff plans to plant new parkway trees in Fox Hollow and River Oaks. There are a limited number of trees available. Make your request by December 15 here: Request for Replacement Right-of-Way Tree