The program came about in 2014 while thousands of ash trees were dying due to infection of the emerald ash borer. Kalosky said the Cook County Forest Preserve has removed 5,000 acres of invasive woody shrubs since she joined the agency eight years ago.Īcross Chicago’s parks, artists have carved 41 dead trees into different works of art as part of the Chicago Tree Project, a partnership between the Chicago Park District and nonprofit Chicago Sculptures International. “So oftentimes we have a buckthorn thicket and there’s either completely bare soil underneath it because it’s shaded out everything else from growing or only buckthorn seedlings can tolerate that dense of shade.” “It does grow in very dense thickets and it’s very shade-tolerant,” Kalosky said. (WTTW News)Ĭook County Forest Preserve wildlife specialist Kim Kalosky said buckthorn diminished the growth of other plants, trees and grasses, keeping native species like young oak trees from thriving. Since then, the invasive species – which is illegal to sell in Illinois – has threatened the Chicago area’s biodiversity: European buckthorn accounts for 36% of all trees in the seven-county region surrounding Chicago, according to a 2020 Chicago Region Tree Census by Morton Arboretum.Ī thicket of European buckthorn, the most prevalent invasive tree species in Chicago, grows in Caldwell Woods on March 4, 2022. The longer you let it dry out, the harder the wood becomes.”Įuropean buckthorn is a type of small, non-native tree originally brought to North America in the 1800s as an ornamental plant. “When you start cutting it, right away, it’s fairly soft,” said Cook County Forest Preserve program coordinator Tim Mondl.
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