Mayor Brandon Johnson joined the Chicago Departments of Streets and Sanitation, Environment, and Transportation, along with Alderwoman Maria Hadden (49), the Park District, Morton Arboretum, the Chicago Urban Forestry Advisory Board, and Openlands for a tree planting event in Rogers Park to celebrate Arbor Day this week.
The event highlights efforts to improve the city’s urban tree canopy as spring planting season begins. Mayor Johnson said on Apr. 24 that “This Arbor Day is a great opportunity to celebrate the tremendous progress we’ve made growing a more robust and health urban tree canopy. Trees beautify our neighborhoods, instill community pride, and studies show they contribute to the overall health and safety of our residents. My administration is committed to planting a network which extends the benefits of trees to every community in Chicago.”
Officials noted that communities on Chicago’s South and West Sides face disparities in tree coverage, making them more vulnerable to extreme heat, higher utility costs, flooding risks, and heat-related illnesses. Since 2022, over 69,000 new trees have been planted through the Our Roots Chicago initiative—more than half in areas previously lacking canopy cover—with an overall goal of reaching 75,000 new trees by late 2026.
Angela Tovar, Chief Sustainability Officer and Department of Environment Commissioner said: “The Our Roots Chicago project has been vital in our efforts to ensure all Chicagoans can reap the benefits of a healthy tree canopy. We are grateful to our City and community partners for their shared commitment to Chicago’s climate and community health goals.”
Cole Stallard, Commissioner of Streets and Sanitation—which employs over 2,000 workers according to its official website—said: “Since transitioning to an area trim system we have seen major improvements that help improve the quality of life of all residents. This approach is more efficient and helps us maintain the overall long-term health of our urban forest.” The Bureau recently shifted from request-based trimming toward scheduled area trimming; since then it has trimmed over 270,000 trees citywide.
The Department works across municipal services including garbage collection; street sweeping; snow removal; graffiti elimination; rodent control; recycling; sanitation; street maintenance; alley safety initiatives such as rodent control; as well as tree care—focusing on neighborhood equity according to its official website.
Arbor Day also marked Chicago’s forty-fourth year as part of Tree City USA—a program raising awareness about community trees—and recognized partners like Morton Arboretum’s Tree Ambassador program plus Openlands’ training for over two thousand local stewards. These programs encourage residents’ advocacy for neighborhood greenery so all can benefit from improved environments.
