Morton Arboretum Kicks Off Push To Plant 3K Trees In Chicagoland

To celebrate Earth Day, the Morton Arboretum kicked off its initiative to plant 3,000 trees throughout the Chicago region. Friday's launch, which included remarks by by Rep. Sean Casten and Rep. Bill Foster, marked the start of the arboretum's Centennial Tree Planting Initiative.

Arboretum President and CEO Gerard T. Donnelly presented the first of the thousands of trees to be planted: a linden tree. Less common to the Chicago area, the linden is one of 20 different types of trees that will be planted through May 2023.

Donnelly said, "The regional forest needs a greater diversity of trees to be resilient to threats including climate change, pests and diseases."

Casten commended the arboretum's initiative, saying, "The Morton Arboretum is a global leader in tree research, notably related to developing climate-resistant trees and partnering with under-resourced communities to plant trees."

More than 300 of the trees included in the Centennial Tree Planting initiative will find homes in Woodridge, Naperville, Downers Grove Township and Darien to replace trees that were destroyed by a devastating EF-3 in June 2020.

Click the link to learn more about Morton Arboretum's Centennial Tree Planting Initiative.