Bensenville, Illinois (April 21, 2021) — Bensenville Park District was awarded a $20,000 grant to complete tree inventories and develop a management plan for its urban forest.
The funds were provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Urban and Community Forestry Core Grant Program, and administered by The Morton Arboretum and the Chicago Region Trees Initiative (CRTI).
“Data collected from the tree inventory will help our team prioritize tree management activities and guide our short and long-term plans involving the protection, pruning, planting and removal of trees. Once completed, the tree inventory will tell us how many trees we have, where they are located, their size, what condition they are in, and our tree species composition. The information will be used to identify opportunities to increase planting and diversity, which will help improve our urban forest.” Joseph Vallez – Executive Director, Bensenville Park District.
The $20,000 grant award, with an additional $13,000 from the Bensenville Park District, will cover the fees associated with the district wide, stem-by-stem tree inventory and urban forestry management plan conducted and created by Great Lakes Urban Forestry Management.
“Urban trees are critical infrastructure for a community, and this funding helps to protect one of its most important resources,” said Lydia Scott, director of CRTI. “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.”
Once the tree inventory has been completed and the management plan developed, it will be available on the Bensenville Park District’s website.
Click Here to view the Executive Summary
