Tree removal from forest preserve riles Long Grove residents
Some Long Grove residents are questioning the removal of trees at a nearby forest preserve as part of a wetlands improvement project just outside village boundaries.
The $1.25 million project at Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve, just south of Lake-Cook Road, includes construction of a wetland mitigation bank that will return former farm fields to a sustainable natural condition.
The area, specifically designed to soak up rain at Buffalo Creek, will be a cost-effective way to help offset future effects of road improvement projects, said Kevin Carrier, the Lake County Division of Transportation's director of planning and programming.
There will be at least 25 acres of wetlands, 37 acres of upland prairie and construction of one mile in new public trails connecting to Buffalo Creek and a Long Grove park.
However, some residents in Long Grove's Country Club Estates neighborhood are upset with the loss of trees to accommodate the project. The trees' removal eliminates screening from Lake-Cook Road traffic.
"That's the irony of the forest preserve, is that they're doing the opposite of preserving the forest," resident Charley Wickman said.
Joe Caruso, a 47-year Country Club Estates resident, contends county officials "do not truly empathize with our residents, nor understand the great damage that they have done."
Long Grove Village President Bill Jacob wrote a letter to Lake County leaders asking for money to be set aside for replacement trees and shrubs to shield Country Club Estates, which is around Checker Road, Lincoln Avenue and Shenandoah Lane.
While the land in question is unincorporated and not under Long Grove's jurisdiction, Jacob said his village's residents are county taxpayers who should not be left with "an unflattering view" of Lake-Cook Road.
Carrier said the county does not have an exact number of trees removed, but added that many of those being felled are smaller, lower-quality species typically not counted as part of a tree survey. The trees were in conflict with construction operations or deemed detrimental to the establishment of the wetlands, he added.
"We recognize that the removal of trees has raised concerns among local residents and we take those concerns very seriously." Carrier said. "We simply need more to see how the site shapes up and how the vegetation establishes before a decision can be made. Adding some 'upfront' screening such as trees and shrubs may be an appropriate solution, but a berm or wall along Lake-Cook Road is not feasible."