Illinois Tollway surpasses milestone of planting 58,000 trees

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In October, the Illinois Tollway surpassed its goal to plant 58,000 new trees along its system of roadways crossing 12 counties, and planting is ongoing. 

The milestone tree is among new trees and shrubs being planted recently along the Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355). 

“It’s exciting to be part of this effort to expand the regional tree canopy, which will greatly benefit our customers and communities for generations,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director José Alvarez.  

Within The Morton Arboretum, the Center for Tree Science and the Chicago Region Trees Initiative have been focused on increasing the region’s tree canopy. The Tollway has partnered with these groups to develop and implement a comprehensive program that advances the region’s tree canopy across the Tollway’s landscape.

As part of its Landscape Master Plan adopted in 2016, the Tollway mapped out a plan to enhance its right-of-way space with new trees, shrubs and native grasses and flowers. To meet the 58,000-goal included in the plan, the Tollway counted the planting of five shrubs as the equivalent of one tree. 

In simple terms, adding 58,000 trees and shrubs would have required adding a new planting every 27 feet along the 294-mile Tollway system if all the new plantings were evenly spaced. But according to Bryan Wagner, the Tollway’s environmental policy and program manager, the plan wasn’t that simple.

The Tollway’s Environmental staff, led by senior landscape architect Jeff Schneberg, first looked at the more rural and open areas along the Tollway system. As they got started, staff quickly realized that what at first glance appeared to be wide open land in reality included drainage systems, underground fiber optics, overhead power lines and sometimes bike trails running alongside the roadways. 

“There’s much more to our system than just pavement that we needed to take into consideration when determining where to plant tens of thousands of trees,” said Wagner. 

In the end, the Tollway identified locations around interchanges and along the mainline on every one of the five roadways that make up the Tollway system, including the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88), Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90), the Tri-State Tollway (I-94/I-294/I-80), the Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355) and the Illinois Route 390 Tollway. 

While planting tens of thousands of trees over a relatively short period can be considered a success on its own merits, the Tollway also has taken steps to ensure the program is a success over the long haul. 

As part of the planning process the Tollway’s staff also had to determine which tree species are most appropriate in urban, suburban and rural locations and distributed where they would be functional and improve aesthetics.

The Tollway worked with The Morton Arboretum to more than double its list of approved tree and shrub species. Species were selected for their resiliency to salt spray and harsh roadway conditions and being native to the region. The list includes a wide variety of shade trees such as ginkgo, honey locust, coffee trees, elm, maples, lilacs, as well as evergreens and nearly a dozen varieties of shrubs. 

“Diversity in the species of trees and shrubs, as well as their size and ages, is vital to the successful implementation and sustainability of this effort,” said senior environmental planner Kelsey Musich. 

The Tollway is focused on planting young, one to 3-year-old trees, which have shown to be more adaptable than older ones during their critical establishment period, based on information and research provided by The Morton Arboretum. 

This approach, accompanied with a high diversity in tree species, aided in minimizing impacts to the regional tree market, as local growers and Tollway contractors were able to work closely together to better ensure availability of desired tree species.

In urban areas, the Tollway planted small, young and hearty trees, which can take root more quickly and develop faster, such as maples, hawthorns and honey locusts. 

In suburban and rural areas, primarily west of the Fox River, the Tollway planted more slow-growing and desirable species of oaks and hickories. Oaks also were placed in the center of dense planting areas, surrounding by bigger trees that could provide protection. 

Short, mid-term and ongoing maintenance is essential to the survival of the 58,000 trees and shrubs planted by the Tollway. Considerable attention will be given to tree care, maintenance and critical watering during the first two to three years after planting to increase success. 

While the Tollway is celebrating this milestone achievement, there are plans for additional trees to be planted as part of the reconstruction of the Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) and the new I-490 Tollway. 

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