Tree Cutting in Illinois

Removing a tree from a private Illinois yard is governed by your city or village, not the state; most suburbs regulate parkway trees and leave backyard trees to the owner. In Chicago, parkway trees (between sidewalk and curb) are city trees. Residents request inspection, trimming or removal through 311, and the Bureau of Forestry decides whether a tree is removed.

Silver maple: fast-growing and brittle; frequent storm and ice breakage Bur and white oak: long-lived natives in older neighborhoods and savanna remnants Green and white ash: once common street trees; emerald ash borer has killed most untreated ash

Winter: Frozen ground protects lawns from equipment; good time for removals and oak pruning Spring: Avoid pruning oaks April–July (oak wilt is present in Illinois)

Long-lived summer windstorms, like August 2020's, break and uproot trees over wide areas in a single afternoon.

Present across the state; untreated ash decline within a few years and become brittle and hazardous once dead.

Heavy rain on poorly drained clay softens root plates before summer storms.