Let’s start off the new year with a look back at what BTCI accomplished in 2023! Last year our group spoke out at three Berwyn City Council Meetings, four Public Works meetings, and seven different civic and aldermanic meetings. We distributed hundreds of flyers about the benefits of trees. We also had ongoing communication with residents and Public Works related to tree numbers, plantings, tree maintenance, and care.
Our efforts have led to Berwyn posting several important tree resources on its website: a tree request form, an interactive tree inventory map, and the city’s complete 2022 parkway tree inventory spreadsheet including arborist notes. The number of parkway trees the city planted in 2023 increased to 158 – about double what it was the year before – in part due to BTCI’s spreading the word about the city’s free tree planting program, and our call to increase the city’s tree planting budget.
We also had fun reaching out to our neighbors in 2023 by walking in two parades, sponsoring a T-ball league (go Marlins!), and providing educational resource tables at three great community events – Juneteenth, the Corrida del Mariachi 5K, and Hispanic Heritage Day.
One action we took that looked outside Berwyn, was in support of increased funding for tree planting and care in communities across Illinois. We provided a Letter of Support to the Morton Arboretum as they pursued Inflation Reduction Act funding. The Arboretum has since received millions of dollars to distribute to Illinois communities and nonprofits in the months ahead.
For the second year, we got an Openlands TreePlanters Grant and then knocked on doors, leading to our planting 44 parkway trees in North Berwyn. We also orchestrated planting 50 trees from Morton Arboretum in Berwyn parks. That’s another 94 trees we got in the ground in 2023, that we are very proud of!
In 2024, we still have plenty of work to do. As in previous years, we will continue to work to increase the number of trees planted, improve city tree maintenance – and ensure that Berwyn has a transparent city-wide plan to do just that.
Our approaches continue to grow, and we have a number of new ideas for 2024. In the coming year, we want to work with local groups to get more tree planting grants, investigate reviving the city’s defunct Tree Board, and continue to increase community outreach.
Do YOU have some ideas for how to help Berwyn’s tree canopy grow? Let us know! Send us a message, come to our next meeting, or comment on Facebook! The more of us who care about trees in Berwyn, the more we can achieve together!
Berwyn Tree Canopy Initiative | Berwyn, Illinois 