Skokie is looking to plant more trees, according to a village official, for the benefits they provide, which include mitigating flooding, filtering pollution, offering shade, reducing the urban island heat effect and many others.
The village has been awarded a $327,000 grant from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service to help it plant more trees in what it called disadvantaged areas, according to its classifications. Some of the trees will be planted on private property within those areas, with a goal of planting 1,065 trees overall, according to Communications and Community Engagement Director Patrick Deignan.
Skokie’s grant proposal, obtained by Pioneer Press through a records request, was written by Assistant Director of Public Works Liz Zimmerman. Skokie will match the federal grant with $330,419 for a total of $658,159, according to the proposal.
The proposal said it used a Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool to identify nearly 37% of Skokie as being disadvantaged. The CEJST tool maps out areas in Skokie with language barriers, people living near hazardous waste facilities or in houses with lead paint, among other environmental and social challenges.
The proposal also said it used another map outside of census boundaries to represent neighborhoods whose residents are more than 51% low and moderate income and will consider them as disadvantaged areas.
The proposal said 450 trees will be planted on private property and 615 trees will be planted along roadways. Roadways in disadvantaged areas would be the priority.
To carry out the initiative, the village will hire an intern to assist with the project and an urban forestry consultant to purchase the trees at a competitive price. The consultant and intern will survey properties within disadvantaged areas to determine where trees could be planted. The proposal said oaks, hickories and other native trees would be preferred.
“This grant will provide a significant boost to the Village’s efforts to enhance tree canopy coverage in Skokie and ensure that all community members can enjoy the innumerable mental and physical health benefits of trees,” said Mayor George Van Dusen in a statement.
In 2022, the Village Board adopted the Skokie Environmental Sustainability Plan, which sets a goal of increasing tree coverage in the Village from 25.5 percent to 31 percent by 2040, focusing on areas with lower income households and vulnerable populations, the statement said.
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The project, a partnership with the Village’s Beautification & Improvement Commission and the Skokie Chamber of Commerce, will commence in 2024 with a survey of potential planting sites and communication with property owners, according to the statement.
Deignan said single-family homes would not be eligible for private tree planting, but a tree on the parkway could be possible. Businesses, places of worship, schools and multifamily housing units are eligible for the program. A village contractor will provide tree watering for trees planted, he said.