SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Laura Ellman joined Jill Koski, president and CEO of the Morton Arboretum, on Wednesday to announce the planting of the 3,000th tree that met the goal for the Arboretum’s Centennial Tree Planting Initiative.
“One of the great things about Morton Arboretum and this endeavor has been the data-driven approach,” said Ellman (D-Naperville). “Morton Arboretum is a gem and using trees to help mitigate severe weather and to offer means of climate resilience is both innovative and important.”
State Representatives Terra Costa Howard and Amy Grant, who helped plant the first tree as part of the Centennial Tree Planting Initiative in April 2022, also participated in the press conference, along with State Senators Suzy Glowiak Hilton and Seth Lewis. The first tree, planted on April 22, 2022, was a specially cultivated Tilia ‘Zamoyskiana’ Centennial produced from a tree in the Arboretum’s collections that was originally obtained from the Kórnik Arboretum in Poland in 1934. Since then, 51 different species of trees have been planted in 68 Illinois communities with the help of 3,710 volunteers.
“This initiative helped the Arboretum make significant progress in expanding urban and community forests as well as building partnerships with municipalities and organizations to care for the trees so they remain healthy and provide their many benefits for years to come,” Koski said in advance of Arbor Day, celebrated on April 28 this year.
Learn more about the Centennial Tree Planting Initiative here.