Pine Tree Removal in Cook County, IL

Tree problems in Cook County, IL that call for pine tree removal

1. 1

   The unincorporated Cook County tree permit

   The county's Tree Preservation, Landscaping and Screening Ordinance (Chapter 126) requires a Tree Removal Application to the Department of Building and Zoning before removing trees on unimproved or partially improved land in unincorporated areas. It covers deciduous trees with a trunk diameter over 6 inches, measured 6 inches above the ground, and evergreens 10 feet or taller.

2. 2

   Who sets the rules for your address

   Cook County is made up of Chicago, more than a hundred suburbs and pockets of unincorporated land. The county's own tree rules only apply in the unincorporated areas. Inside Chicago, the Department of Streets and Sanitation's Bureau of Forestry owns and maintains parkway trees; inside a suburb like Oak Park, Evanston or Skokie, that village or city sets its own permit requirements, which are often stricter than the county's.

3. 3

   Emerald ash borer across the county

   Emerald ash borer was first confirmed in Illinois in June 2006, near Lily Lake in Kane County, about 40 miles west of Chicago, and it spread through the Cook County suburbs within a few years. Ash had been planted widely as a replacement for elms lost to Dutch elm disease, so many blocks lost most of their street trees.