The Forestry Division is responsible for the maintenance and care of the Village’s Urban Forest, landscape beds and turf throughout the Village. The Forestry crews are currently responsible for over 6,000 trees, made up of 50 different Genus and 174 different Species, the largest percentage of which are Silver Maples, making up 15% of the urban forest, followed by Honeylocusts at 11% and Norway Maples at 7%. Trees range in size from a newly planted 2” diameter tree, to the largest tree coming in at 60” in diameter. They also care for and maintain over 100 landscape beds and oversee the care and maintenance of 75 turf locations.

All three of our forestry technicians are International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborists, including two licensed Pesticide Applicators, one Horticulturalist / Landscape Designer and one Municipal Specialist. This means that our employees have been specifically and rigorously trained in the arboriculture field. The skills needed to earn these certifications are: proper pruning techniques, job safety, regulation knowledge, tree identification, proper removal methods, tree planting operations, equipment operation and maintenance, rigging methods, and pest control; all along with hands-on training and experience.

The Village Horticulturalist / Landscape Designer leads the division in planting bed design, purchasing and improving the Village aesthetics with annual flowers, perennials, shrubs, trees and seasonal color. He also oversees the Village contracts for Turf Fertilizing and Turf Mowing.

Our Forestry Division continues to improve our urban forest with a 4-year pruning cycle. Each year, one of the 6 maintenance areas in town undergoes a strict pruning cycle, where each tree is inspected and pruned to healthy and aesthetically pleasing standards. This process removes dangerous or hazardous branches, dead wood and eliminates possible future accidents. This ensures a long and healthy life for the tree. The following link will take you to the Village’s Pruning Zones Map. To view current pruning cycle activity, visit our Bensenville GIS Dashboard for Tree Pruning.

The forestry division is also responsible for the removal of hazardous and dead Village owned trees in parkways and Village owned properties. This has become a corner stone for this department over the last few years due to the devastation from the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). 15% of the Village’s urban forest was Green Ash, all of which were infected with this beetle. As of spring 2020, there are just a hand full of Ash still in our urban forest. Any person wishing to remove a Village owned tree must first obtain a Parkway Tree Removal Permit.

Another large role our forestry division plays is that of adding to our urban forest. Each year this division plants over 120 new trees throughout the village! This greatly improves the urban forest diversity, and creates a great new look for the Village of Bensenville. If a resident wants to plant their own parkway tree, a Parkway Tree Planting Permit can be obtained through the Public Works Forestry Department.

The forestry division is also in charge of the Village’s residential branch and brush collection. 

Village crews collect larger brush for residents on the first Monday of each month from April through November. More information can be obtained visiting the Brush and Branch Pickup link.

Started in the spring of 2018, the Village offers free recycled mulch to its residents. Mulch can be picked up at the Public Works Facility in the North East corner of the parking lot. The mulch is the result of all the in-town brush pickups, tree trimmings and tree removals done by our forestry crews. This program is Bensenville’s Environmental Initiative to recycle our material and reinvest it back into the community.

The areas our forestry division oversee besides the Village parkways & ROW’s are the following:

For all other Forestry information, please see the Village of Bensenville Urban Forestry Management, Preservation and Protection Plan.