The Morton Arboretum’s Chicago Region Trees Initiative is a network of partners including community, civic, nonprofit, and green industry organizations and businesses.
CRTI has engaged more than 500 partners throughout Illinois, including municipalities, businesses, nonprofit organizations, forest preserves, park districts, private landowners and managers, and other stakeholders. Through these collaborations, CRTI works to inspire tree stewards and build municipal capacity and support for trees, with a focus on environmental equity and disadvantaged communities.
The Chicago Region Trees Initiative and its partners have developed a comprehensive plan to improve the health, diversity, and equitable distribution of the Chicago regional forest. Together, guided by this plan, CRTI and its partners have had a regionwide impact.
CRTI’s collaborations and the possibilities for partnership are wide-ranging. For example, partners may work with CRTI to
- organize community tree plantings
- develop new tree protection ordinances
- conserve and celebrate oak trees in natural areas and neighborhoods
- improve municipalities’ tree-care capacity through staff training, volunteer development, and tree inventories
- find funding for community tree care
- or plan to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Partners who come together in CRTI’s work groups connect with peers, share ideas, and contribute to the program’s planning on topics such as forest composition, trees and green infrastructure, tree risk assessment and management, and tree stewardship and planting.
CRTI welcomes new collaborators! Learn how you or your organization can become a partner of CRTI.
Partner Project Highlights
Here is a sample of the work done by CRTI and its partners across the Chicago region and the state of Illinois.
Celebrating Earth Day and Arbor Day at the Lawndale Pop-Up Spot
The Lawndale Pop-Up Spot is “a community museum featuring exhibits by and for the North Lawndale community”. During the week of Earth Day and Arbor Day, they co-led a tree walk to the local Betty Swan Arboretum focusing on the benefits and importance of trees. That week’s Friday’s on the Plaza event featured art activities, food, the exhibit ReCovered: Chicago’s Urban Tree Canopy, and a CRTI outreach table. The recurring open-air sukkah art installations next door in the James Stone Freedom Square provide inspiration and space for meditation throughout the year.
Puerto Rican Cultural Center’s Tool Kit Distribution in Humboldt Park
Tree Ambassador Program partner Puerto Rican Cultural Center hosted a tool kit giveaway and workshop for their community members in Humboldt Park. The workshop focused on tree care and maintenance, a great example of the center’s continuing work for community tree advocacy.
Tree Ordinance Administration Workshop Facilitated by Joe Hansen
Joe Hansen from the Village of Wilmette planned and facilitated a fantastic and interactive workshop at The Morton Arboretum on how to start and strengthen a tree preservation ordinance. This full-day workshop provided insight and examples on how to administer and manage a tree preservation ordinance effectively and equitably. Using real world examples, 95 attendees—including local land managers and leaders—learned how to strike a balance between the black and white of the law, the BMPs (best management practices) of site development and tree health, and both the positive and negative realities of tree preservation for leaders to take back to their communities.
Urban Forestry Basic Training at the Cicero Community Center
The IAA and CRTI Urban Forestry Basic Training program was hosted at the Cicero Community Center on April 3 and 4. Over the two days of the training, there were 96 attendees that participated. Designed for individuals who are not forestry professionals and who work with or near trees or manage staff or contractors who work with trees, these expert-led sessions include important forestry topics such as planting, pruning, tree biology, providing proper tree care, and avoiding tree damage during construction. There is also a second optional day that is focused on basic chainsaw skills and knowledge.
Tree Inventories Drive Urban Forest Planning in Large Illinois Communities
Five large communities around Illinois were awarded grant funding by the USDA Forest Service through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and The Morton Arboretum in an effort to advance urban and community forestry. Several of these communities have made significant progress on their grant projects. Rockford Park District and the Town of Cicero have completed comprehensive tree inventories, providing valuable data on a total of 42,059 trees. Those communities will now begin preparing their urban forest management plans to decide how they would like to care for and grow their tree canopies. Community engagement will play a large role in preparing those management plans. The Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners also approved the selection of a contractor to complete its tree inventory and management plan. The inventory is expected to provide new important information on an estimated 250,000 trees throughout Chicago’s parks!
Become a Partner
The Morton Arboretum welcomes everyone working to improve the health and the equitable distribution of the tree canopy in the Chicago region to become a partner of its Chicago Region Trees Initiative.
CRTI asks its partners to support its efforts for people and trees in at least one of these ways.
- Committing to activities that can have a positive impact on the region’s trees and help meet regional goals.
- Investing staff time or other resources to help achieve the goals outlined in the 2050 Master Plan for Trees.
- Participating as an active member of a CRTI work group.
Fill out this form to become a CRTI partner and commit to actions that will ensure that trees are healthier, more abundant, more diverse, and more equitably distributed to provide needed benefits to all people and communities in the Chicago region.
There is no fee associated with partnership, though donations and sponsorships are welcome.
