Village of Riverwoods, Illinois

The trees and forests in the Village of Riverwoods, are a treasured community asset. The protection and enhancement of these resources has been a priority of village residents for many years. The Forestry Department administers the village's Tree Preservation Ordinance, coordinates programs for the control of invasive plants and reforestation plantings, reviews building permit applications to address tree preservation and landscaping requirements, conducts annual surveys to identify diseased trees and trees that may be hazardous to village owned streets, works with other village departments to coordinate tree and landscape efforts for village public improvement projects, provides informational and educational material for residents, and responds to resident inquiries.

The village's forestry consultant, Urban Forest Management, Inc. of Fox River Grove, Illinois, has worked with the elected and appointed officials of the village for many years to provide technical input to our forestry programs.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is one of many voices in our region that recognizes the impact humans can have, for good or ill, on our natural environment: "Whether you own one acre or one thousand, the decisions you make and the actions you take regarding your property affect the nonhuman species that reside or visit there. . . How you manage that land while it is in your care will have an impact long after you are gone."

Our Village recognizes the importance of our woodlands in the Woodland Protection Ordinance and currently offers residents matching programs for invasive plant removal and reforestation, to help us restore balance to the natural environment in which we reside. Another tool which is recommended and used by local land managers such as the Chicago Wilderness Consortium and the Lake County Forest Preserve, but is not yet part of the Riverwoods tool kit, is prescribed or controlled burning. As we go to press, an ordinance pertaining to this technique is being considered by the Riverwoods Board of Trustees.

Unlike fall leaf burning, which is a simple cleanup mechanism used by homeowners, a prescribed burn offers numerous benefits including efficient invasive removal, nutritional recycling and increased seed production by native flora. This is not a method to be used by novices or lawn care companies. It should only be used by trained professionals, properly permitted by the EPA and local authorities, as part of a comprehensive natural landscaping plan. When done correctly, in a limited area with wind speed and direction taken into consideration, prescribed burning is safe and has minimal impact on adjacent neighbors.

One resident on Blackthorn who already had utilized mechanical methods of invasive removal on buckthorn, garlic mustard and aggressive green ash, is attempting to further restore his woodland using prescribed burning. He retained Tallgrass Restoration to conduct the burn, one of the companies listed on the USDA website at www.il.nrcs.usda.gov. Tallgrass applied in early November for Village approval of the prescribed burn, but unfortunately approval was not given before weather conditions made the burn an impossibility this year. The optimal time for sowing a native seed mix following a burn is in the fall, so the delay will not allow the seed mix to be sowed this year. We look forward to following the resident's journey towards a more balanced, diverse and attractive landscape, and we will share the information with other interested residents.