Science & Nature
Chicago’s Forestry Crews Will Work Through the Weekend to Continue Clearing Thousands of Storm-Damaged Trees
Bureau of Forestry crews responding to one of nearly 6,000 tree emergency requests recorded by 311 following severe storms July 14-15. (Courtesy of Department of Streets and Sanitation)
Five confirmed tornadoes struck Chicago over two days — July 14-15 — and the city’s trees bore the brunt of the damage caused by these back-to-back storms, packing winds that reached peak gusts of 95 miles per hour.
The city’s 311 system logged nearly 5,795 tree emergency requests as of Thursday, as trees shed large limbs or were felled altogether. Roughly 60% of those requests for service had been closed out by Thursday, according to the Department of Streets and Sanitation.
Bureau of Forestry crews will continue working Saturday and Sunday to clear requests, Mimi Simon, Streets and Sanitation spokesperson, told WTTW News.
In addition to requests rolling in via 311, Streets and Sanitation has been receiving information on the location of damaged trees from alderpeople and ward superintendents, who’ve been out surveying their neighborhoods, Simon noted.
For those impatient with the pace of cleanup, Streets and Sanitation cautions against people taking matters into their own hands.
“City foresters advise for residents to wait for trained staff to address any parkway tree damage,” Simon said.
Separate from Streets and Sanitation, the Chicago Park District is running a parallel cleanup effort in the city’s parks.
More than 100 parks experienced some level of damage to trees, from broken limbs — small and large — to uprooted trees. Hundreds of trees were impacted, none of which are included in the city’s overall count, according to Irene Tostado, a Park District spokesperson.
“Our forestry and landscape crews have been working to clean debris, pick up, cut and trim trees as necessary in parks citywide since Tuesday,” Tostado said.
Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 | [email protected]
