St. Charles awarded urban and community forestry grant by Morton Arboretum

The City of St. Charles was recently awarded a grant of $13,000 from Morton Arboretum which will be used for the inventory and assessment of the city's nearly 21,000 parkway trees.

The inventory and assessment process includes evaluating and documenting each individual tree to identify any required maintenance, as outlined in the city's Urban Forestry Management Plan.

This past spring, the city's public services division outlined a four-year inventory and assessment process, but the grant from Morton Arboretum means the process can be finished a full year earlier than expected.

"Our parkway tree program plays a big part in contributing to the natural and scenic beauty of our community," said Public Works Manager A.J. Reineking. "We are proud to have received this grant from Morton Arboretum, which will greatly enhance all of our maintenance programs pertaining to City trees and allow us to further advance the objectives and goals outlined in the city's Urban Forestry Management Plan."

The preservation and care efforts of its thousands of trees have earned St. Charles a Tree City USA designation, an annual distinction granted by the Arbor Day Foundation, for 19 consecutive years.

For information on the Morton Arboretum Grant or the city's parkway tree program, contact A.J. Reineking at (630) 377-4405 or areineking@stchralesil.gov.