Town's Tree Inventory

This Town of Normal’s tree inventory helps the Town safeguard and enhance its urban forest. The inventory includes trees located on street right-of-way areas, in parks and other municipal properties, and on the Ironwood Golf Course. 

Data collected helps staff prioritize tree management activities and guide future decisions involving the protection, planting, pruning and removal of trees.

The tree inventory, first completed in 2020, was made possible through a grant from the Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program, funded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Forest Service. The project was completed by Davey Resource Group.

Tree Inventory Summary

  • Over 11,000 trees growing on the various Town properties were inventoried.
  • Nearly 80% of the trees inventoried were rated in good condition (79%).
  • Crabapple trees were the most popular species inventoried, comprising 8% of the Town’s tree population.
  • $1 million is the annual ecological benefits of inventoried trees (ecological benefits include greenhouse gas, water, energy, air quality and property benefits)
     

TreeKeeper Public Interface

The tree inventory data is kept in TreeKeeper, a cloud-based tree management software. Visitors can use this web-based application, which highlights the environmental benefits of community trees.






Tree Inventory Project Map

Video Tutorial

Want to learn how to use the TreeKeeper system?

TreeKeeper iTree Benefits

Greenhouse Benefits:  Trees absorb CO2, removing and storing the carbon, while releasing oxygen back into the air. The TreeKeeper iTree Benefits application calculates the amount of carbon dioxide annually avoided and sequestered from the atmosphere by each inventoried tree and by the total tree population (measured in pounds).

Water Benefits:  Trees reduce the amount of storm water runoff, reducing erosion and pollution in our waterways. The TreeKeeper iTree Benefits application calculates the annual reductions of stormwater runoff due to rainfall interception by the tree population (measured in gallons saved).

Energy Benefits:  Trees save energy by providing shade and wind breaks which results in the burning of fewer fossil fuels to generate electricity for cooling and heating. The TreeKeeper iTree Benefits data represents the contribution from our tree population towards conserving energy in terms of reduced electricity use for air conditioning in the summer (measured in Kilowatt-hours saved) and reduced natural gas use in the winter (measured in Therms saved).

Air Quality Benefits:  Trees remove air pollutants which contribute to health problems. The TreeKeeper iTree Benefits application quantifies the air pollutants absorbed on tree surfaces and reduced emissions from power plants due to decreased electricity use (measured in pounds saved).

Property Benefits:  Trees provide more than just beauty – they increase property values. The TreeKeeper iTree Benefits application represents the tangible and intangible advantages of trees reflected in the increase of property values (measured in dollars).

Davey jpeg environmental-benefits