Tree Trimming & Pruning in Cook County, IL

Tree problems in Cook County, IL that call for tree trimming

1. 1

   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.

2. 2

   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.

3. 3

   Storms: derechos, downbursts and lake-effect ice

   Summer derechos and downbursts cross the county from the west, like the August 2020 derecho that split and uprooted trees across Chicago and the suburbs. Silver maples, Callery pears and declining ash are the usual casualties. In winter, freezing rain and heavy snow add weight to limbs over alleys, garages and service drops.

4. 4

   Forest Preserve land next to your yard

   The Forest Preserves of Cook County manage more than 70,000 acres of woods, prairies and wetlands, and many suburban backyards border them. Trees on preserve land belong to the Forest Preserves, even when they lean over your fence. Don't cut or remove them; report a hazardous preserve tree to the Forest Preserves. You can generally trim branches that cross onto your property, as long as you don't damage the tree.