Hosted by the Arboretum’s Chicago Region Trees Initiative, the Community Tree Network brings together tree experts and community members to share knowledge.

Across the greater Chicago region, there is a range of urban forestry and tree care expertise. Some cities and towns have forestry departments with certified arborists on staff, others have little to no forestry support. The Community Tree Network addresses this by offering peer-to-peer learning workshops several times a year.

Community Tree Network workshops are free and open to the public. Each workshop features local professionals sharing their expertise and experiences. Non-forestry professionals such as members of tree commissions, forestry advocates, landscape architects, and public works staff are always welcome.

The goals of the Community Tree Network are to help people:

• implement or improve local urban forestry operations by using the best practices for tree planting, tree care, and related issues,
• understand and articulate the benefits of trees so that they can advocate for urban forestry funding and staffing in their communities, and
• create a regional network of tree experts to address the complex urban forestry challenges that cut across our municipal borders.