Public & Parkway Tree Care

With over 15,000 public trees in the Village’s parkways and on its properties, the Village focuses on proactively managing the health and well being of its trees. The following programs have been established to help with those processes.

Tree Planting

In order to help keep Northbrook green, the Public Works Departments manages an on-going tree planting program for the Village’s parkways and properties. The annual program occurs in the spring and focuses on replacing trees that had been previously removed due to death or disease as well as planting new trees as part of the Village’s 50/50 cost sharing tree program.

Tree Trimming

The Public Works Department manages an annual tree trimming program to promote the health of publicly owned trees and protect motorists and pedestrians from low hanging branches and unnecessary damage from branches falling during storms. Trimming typically occurs between October and April (when the tree is dormant), though emergency trimming is done from time to time.

If you see a tree with a broken or low-hanging limb, you can report it for review using the Village’s GONorthbrook service request system. If the limb poses an immediate danger, please contact Public Works immediately at 847-272-4711 during regular business hours or the Police Department’s non-emergency number at 847-564-2060.

Tree Treatments and Pest Removal

On an as-needed basis, Village staff review the Village’s trees and complete any necessary pest removal or other treatment, including for Dutch Elm Disease, Emerald Ash Borer, scaling or other nutrient deficiencies. To report an infestation or other potential problem with a tree aside from trimming, please use this page on the GONorthbrook service request system.

Tree Removal

In order to protect the public, the Village regularly removes publicly-owned dead and diseased trees. The Village identifies which trees to remove based on resident requests for parkway tree inspection as well as resident reports of dead trees and regular staff inspections.

If you see a tree that you believe is dead or diseased and should be evaluated for removal, you can report it for review using the Village’s GONorthbrook service request system. If the tree poses an immediate danger, please contact Public Works immediately at 847-272-4711 during regular business hours or the Police Department’s non-emergency number at 847-564-2060.

Program Service Levels:

In order to ensure the health of the Village’s trees and protect the public, the following program services levels have been established for the forestry program:

Tree Planting:

The Village plants an average of 225 new trees per year. Replacements as part of the Village’s 50/50 cost sharing program are placed within three to nine months (depending on the time of the year that the request is received). Replacements for removed trees are completed within one year.

Tree Trimming:

The Village performs routine trimming of parkway trees on a seven to nine year cycle. Trimming can be supplemented by Village staff or contractors as needed. For a non-emergency trimming a request, all work is completed within five to six weeks of receipt. Emergency requests are completed as soon as possible after receipt.