Grant funding supports 50 new trees in Indian Head Park
A $25,000 matching grant to support the planting of more than 50 trees on public property in the fall and next spring is a perfect fit for Indian Head Park.
The village has been a Tree City USA community for 35 years, a designation by the Arbor Day Foundation, which has a mission of inspiring people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees.
'The village values its wildlife and the beauty of nature,' said Joe Coons, Indian Head Park's director of Public Works. 'Also, the village has a no fence ordinance in place, so planting trees becomes even more important for screening and beautification.'
The grant funding is provided by the Urban and Community Forestry Programs of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service – Eastern Region. The village has allocated an additional $25,000 from the approved 2025/2026 budget to support the project.
The program is administered by The Morton Arboretum's Chicago Region Trees Initiative, which supports urban forestry planning and implementation efforts throughout the region.
'This grant allows Indian Head Park to continue our legacy of environmental stewardship by strengthening our urban tree canopy for generations to come,' Village President Amy Jo Wittenberg said in a statement. 'As a Tree City USA community for 35 years, proactive tree management and canopy enhancement remain top priorities. These new trees will improve quality of life and build resilience against environmental stressors, pests and diseases.'
Urban Tree Canopy is the leafy, green, overhead cover from trees that community groups, residents, and local governments maintain in the landscape for beauty, shade, fruit production, wildlife habitat, energy conservation, stormwater mitigation and a host of public health and educational values, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
'A good tree canopy not only makes the community beautiful, but it also helps with keeping temperatures cooler during the summer months,' Coons said. 'It also helps with flood mitigation.'
Coons said the planting locations for the additional trees will be identified using the village's in-progress Urban Forestry Management Plan, which includes a detailed tree inventory report. 'The inventory will evaluate tree quantity, species, condition, and size, helping guide reforestation decisions and tree maintenance strategies into the future,' he said.
Coons said the village usually tries to plant at least 20 trees per year. The grant will allow Indian Head Park to plant more trees than otherwise would be the case, he said. Newly planted trees will be a mix of replacements for existing trees and additional ones.
Indian Head Park is one of 186 places in Illinois that have received the Tree City USA designation.
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Grant funding supports 50 new trees in Indian Head Park
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