Forestry

The Village Forester is responsible for:

  • Overseeing reforestation, tree preservation, and tree maintenance
  • Maintaining the Recommended Tree Species List (PDF) for Winnetka and advising on the tree species best suited to a specific site
  • Inspecting a tree that has been requested for removal
  • Planting parkway trees and removing dead, diseased, or hazardous parkway trees

Winnetka is committed to preserving the natural beauty of trees and has been designated a Tree City USA community since 1991.

Tree Removal

Tree preservation ordinances were enacted in Winnetka to protect against the indiscriminate removal of trees on private property. Homeowners are required to apply for a removal permit if a tree measures 8-inches or more in diameter at breast height. When permission is requested to remove a protected tree, the Village Forester will inspect the tree in question to determine its size, health, the reason for removal, and whether replacement trees are required. If removal is permitted, a deposit per diameter inch of tree replacement is required before work is performed. A landscape plan must receive Village Forester approval and be installed correctly before tree deposit is refunded.

Tree Care

The best way to care for your trees is to water them when dry conditions occur during growing seasons. Generally, "dry conditions" are defined as two or more weeks without precipitation.

Some insecticide treatments control borers and can be done as a preventative by certified arborists. Some fertilizers and growth regulators help improve tree root growth. Fungicide treatments for diseases like Bur Oak Blight are being used and studied, but more research is needed before any guarantees can be issued.

More Information