LISLE, Ill. (July 1, 2025)—The Morton Arboretum’s urban and community forestry program, the Chicago Region Trees Initiative (CRTI), recently received prestigious awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects and the American Public Gardens Association, further affirming CRTI as a national model for urban forestry initiatives.
“It is a great honor for the Arboretum’s Chicago Region Trees Initiative and our staff team to be recognized by these esteemed national organizations,” said Arboretum President and CEO Jill Koski. “Through its innovative and collaborative approach, CRTI is leading the way to healthy, sustainable, and equitable urban forests, helping to improve critical green infrastructure to make communities more livable and more resilient to climate change. Its focus on environmental equity, commitment to multi-sector collaboration and community-building approach are just some of the reasons CRTI has earned its national distinction as an exemplary urban and community forestry program.”
CRTI works to improve the health, diversity, and equitable distribution of trees in the Chicago region and throughout Illinois. Established in 2014, CRTI partners with and facilitates collaboration among more than 500 organizations in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to inspire tree stewards and build municipal capacity and support for trees with a focus on environmental equity and disadvantaged communities. It is the largest statewide urban and community forestry initiative in the country.
CRTI’s impact includes inspiring tree stewards through workshops and local events such as tree plantings; building municipal capacity and support for tree management; strengthening the Arboretum’s efforts to conserve oak trees, which are keystone species in Illinois that support a large diversity of living things; and creating robust and diverse urban forests that mitigate the impacts of climate change. The program leverages data-driven insights and the Arboretum’s robust scientific expertise to guide decision-making for maximum effectiveness.
The American Society of Landscape Architects awarded CRTI with its renowned 2025 Olmsted Medal on July 1, recognizing the program for its work to improve the Chicago regional urban forest.
One Olmsted Medal is awarded annually, recognizing a non-landscape architecture individual, organization, agency, or program for environmental leadership, vision and stewardship.
The esteemed award highlighted CRTI’s data-driven approach that helps improve tree canopy where it is needed most, among other successes of the program.
In addition, CRTI received a Program Excellence Award at the American Public Gardens Association’s 2025 annual conference in June. The distinguished award honors an association member who has displayed a truly innovative spirit in the development of an original and completed program.
Among other achievements, the award recognized CRTI for directly engaging residents as stewards of their urban forests through thousands of tree plantings and training workshops it has facilitated.
Watch CRTI’s Program Excellence Award video:
For more information about CRTI and to get involved in the program, visit mortonarb.org/CRTI.