Most Plainfield Trees Cataloged, Urban Forest Management Plan Underway

PLAINFIELD, IL — Almost every tree on Plainfield Park District property, save for those in densely wooded areas, has been cataloged with its condition, size, type and location, officials announced Wednesday.

"We can use this to better address issues, locate new trees to increase tree count and diversity, and it was imperative data allowing the District to create a short and long term urban forestry management plan," Director of Planning Bob Collins said in a statement.

Now that trees have been accounted for and cataloged, the park district begins its initial implementation of a newly adopted Urban Forest Management Plan, officials said. Inventory will also help the organization identify opportunities to increase planting, according to a news release.

Staff completed the tree inventory about a year and a half after the Plainfield Park District received $10,925 from a United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service grant, in January 2021.

The funds — which cover about half of the projected cost of the project — were provided through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' Forestry Core Grant Program and administered by The Morton Arboretum and the Chicago Region Trees Initiative.

"Urban trees are critical infrastructure for a community, and this funding helps to protect one of its most important resources," Lydia Scott, director of CRTI, said in a statement. "Trees clean our air and water, reduce flooding and heat, improve our mental and physical health, and provide important habitat for birds and other wildlife."