LISLE, Ill. – The Morton Arboretum’s Community Trees program will be hosting the first-ever Tree Boards and Commissions Roundtable on February 4. Members of municipal tree boards from cities across Illinois will have the opportunity to come together to learn and share tips on forming, running and making the most of their community tree board.A roundtable discussion will allow individuals to ask questions and interact with other like-minded tree group members. Community Trees Program Coordinator, Beth Corrigan, will lead the meeting.
Tree Boards and Commissions Roundtable
Tuesday, February 4th, 7-9 p.m.
The Morton Arboretum
Hawthorn-Chestnut Room
100 Illinois Route 53
Lisle, IL 60532
“Whether your group is government-appointed, elected or volunteer-based, there are many opportunities to work with your community on improving the urban forest,” said Community Trees Program Coordinator, Beth Corrigan. “Our goal is to get these individuals together and hear what works and what doesn’t so that everyone can learn from one another.”
Tree boards and commissions vary from one city to another. Some are volunteer-driven and operate independently while others are comprised of individuals appointed or elected by local governments. Most of the groups that will be in attendance at the roundtable discussion are affiliated with Tree City USA, a national program which recognizes communities with sound urban forestry management. Currently, there are more than 3,400 Tree City USA communities which are home to more than 135 million Americans. Those communities that already have a tree board or commission are one step closer to obtaining Tree City USA designation.
The Morton Arboretum also offers Tree Board University, a series of online training courses featuring videos, multi-media presentations, reference documents and information on serving in a citizen advisory role to protect urban forests.
Light refreshments will be served. There is no fee for this program, but an RSVP is required. E-mail Beth Corrigan at bcorrigan@mortonarb.org for details.
The Tree Boards and Commissions Roundtable is just one of many events, workshops and other outreach efforts organized by the Community Trees Program to help protect and maintain trees. The Community Trees Program at The Morton Arboretum was established in 2002 with support from the Grace Bersted Foundation. The program’s goal is to help people help trees live long, productive lives, based on the philosophy that all trees, on both public and private land, together form an urban and community forest that is crucial to a community’s infrastructure.
For more information on the Community Trees Program, e-mail communitytrees@mortonarb.org.