The Healthy Habitats brochure series is designed for anyone who wants to improve the ecological health of the outdoor spaces around them.
Whether you are a homeowner, land manager, or involved in local conservation efforts, you can preserve native ecosystems and help wildlife thrive.
The series includes three downloadable brochures.
Healthy Habitats
Protect our natural resources and green spaces by preserving habitats, protecting keystone species, and managing natural areas responsibly.
The Chicago region was once a rich tapestry of prairies, oak and hickory savannas, wetlands, forests, bluffs, and ravines. As urbanization and land development continues, it is critical to preserve existing habitats by managing natural areas responsibly.
This brochure provides an overview of best management practices for natural areas including prescribed fires and invasive species control. It emphasizes the importance of keystone species like native oak trees and how management efforts can support biodiversity.
Download and view the Healthy Habitats brochure.
Healthy Hedges
Invasive woody plants are commonly and unknowingly planted in home landscapes and yards in gardens, as hedges, or as privacy screens. From small plants to larger shrubs, every layer of the urban landscape can be a site for invasive plants.
As a homeowner, resident, or land manager, you can help the regional forest by clearing as many of these plants as possible from your private property and by choosing healthy alternatives.
The Healthy Hedges brochures below offer options and alternatives to use in yards and home landscapes.
Invasive plants are a huge problem in the Chicago region. The invasive European buckthorn alone accounts for more than one-third of all trees found in the Chicago region, outcompeting other native plants and tree saplings, preventing forest regeneration, harming the health of bird populations, and releasing the toxic chemical emodin into soils and waterways.
By clearing invasive plants from your home landscape and choosing plants that support local biodiversity, you can make a difference for the regional forest.
Download and view the Healthy Hedges: Recommended Privacy Screen Replacements brochure.
Download and view the Invasive Hedge and Screen Replacement Guide: Native Shrubs brochure.
Download and view the Invasive Hedge and Screen Replacement Guide: Non-Native Shrubs brochure.
Healthy Home Landscapes
The Healthy Home Landscapes brochure contains advice for homeowners and residents to create a healthy ecosystem in their backyards.
With a few simple changes, you can create a landscape at home that welcomes wildlife, helps manage stormwater, and contributes to local conservation efforts.
Download and view the Healthy Home Landscapes brochure.