Going, Almost Gone: City Continues Removal of Ailing Ash Trees

After months of chopping, sawing and cutting down hundreds of Ash trees, Chicago Heights Chief of Staff Lisa Aprati announced phase 1 of the city's efforts to remove dead or dying Ash trees from city streets is nearly complete.

But they're not done yet, Aprati said during a March 4 city council meeting. 

Residents should report dead or dying trees to the city for the next phase of the plan.

“It was dead or dying trees that are being removed,” Aprati said. “We already have a list of trees and we're accepting calls from residents if they believe their trees are dead or dying.”

During phase 1, which began January 1 of this year, the city hired two companies to remove trees from three areas within the city, Aprati said. In the three zones, a total of nearly 400 trees were removed from Chicago Heights in the past three months.

Zone 1 was Joe Orr Road north to Holbrook Road; Zone 2 was Joe Orr Road south to Route 30, both of which were completed early. Zone 3, which is Route 30 south to 26^th Street, is currently still in the works, with 180 trees already removed and 15 to 20 trees still to be removed.

Any tress that residents report will be reviewed by a certified arborist and could be included in the next phase. Any questions residents have can be directed to Chicago Heights city hall, 708-756-5300.