Tree Service in River Forest, IL

River Forest protects two species by name on single-family lots. Zoning section 10-24-5 covers oak and elm of 20 inches diameter or greater. Removing one needs written approval from the zoning administrator. Siberian elm is the exception. The code measures at four feet six inches above established ground level. Every other species on a single-family lot falls outside that trigger. It is a narrow rule, but it catches exactly the trees this village is known for. So tree removal River Forest homeowners plan starts with a species and a tape measure.

Request An Estimate

Two Codes Govern River Forest Trees

The first is Title 5, Chapter 8, “Trees and Shrubs,” which handles public ground. Section 5-8-2(A) makes it unlawful to plant any tree or shrub in a public street, parkway or other public place. You need a permit first. Under 5-8-2(B), the Director may grant or deny removal permits and impose conditions. Those include “the prepayment of the appraised value” of the tree. Then 5-8-2(C) gives the Director power to plant, prune, remove and maintain anything growing in the village right of way. The village’s own forestry page puts it beyond argument. Under Title 5, Chapter 8, “only Village crews or crews contracted by the Village may perform the above tasks.”

The Zoning Code, And What Tree Removal River Forest Requires Back

The second is the zoning code. Section 10-24-5 sets a different and lower bar for multi-family, commercial, institutional and governmental property. There, no tree of six inches DBH or greater comes down without written approval from the zoning administrator. Replacement is tiered. A multi-family or commercial tree of 36 inches and over requires one inch of replacement for each inch removed. A single-family violation requires one replacement tree or payment in lieu. Replacements must be at least three inches caliper, and the village list sets the species. We can cite no published dollar fine, so treat the appraised-value condition as the real number.

Section 5-8-2(D) covers contractors working for the Village on public trees. They must use a certified arborist for all tree work. They must also comply with the licensing and insurance rules at 3-3-3.

Eight Thousand Trees Around 860 Historic Properties

The village maintains over 8,000 trees of more than 90 species in its rights-of-way. Pruning runs on a four-year cycle. Five ISA Certified Arborists work on staff. The Illinois Department of Agriculture licenses its personnel as pesticide applicators. River Forest has been a Tree City USA annually since 1999. The Morton Arboretum is the reference worth reading on the oaks the zoning code singles out. On 2.5 landlocked square miles holding 11,717 people, that is an unusually dense professional operation.

860 Properties Under Historic Review

What complicates the work is the architecture underneath it. The historic district runs irregularly. Its bounds are Harlem Avenue east to the Des Plaines River west, Division Street north to Washington Boulevard south. It takes in roughly 860 properties. The Historic Preservation Commission has designated 298 homes as Significant Properties, which brings review for major construction. The building stock includes work by Frank Lloyd Wright, William Drummond, Spencer and Powers, and E.E. Roberts. Landmarks include the Winslow House and Stables at 515 Auvergne. Others are the Solomon Thatcher Jr. House at 518 Keystone and the Ben Badenough House at 555 Edgewood. The styles run Gothic Revival, Victorian, Prairie School, Tudor Revival, bungalow, Art Deco and Moderne. Dropping a limb onto a designated roof is not an ordinary insurance claim. Tree removal River Forest asks for inside that district comes down piece by piece for exactly that reason.

River Forest records zero FEMA repetitive-loss properties and zero severe. Its flooding is localized. Keystone Avenue between Division and Thomas, neighborhoods along Chicago Avenue and Lake Street, and the 8200 block of Lake. The 2008 Des Plaines River event crested at 10.00 feet at Des Plaines and 9.86 at Riverside.

Tree Removal River Forest: What We Handle

• Removals of 20-inch oak and elm, once the zoning administrator has signed
• Pruning we rig down over designated roofs rather than drop free
• Stump grinding clear of the historic hardscape around it
• Emergency and storm response, including limbs on slate and tile

Sizing Up A Tree Removal River Forest Job

Tell us the species and rough diameter when you call. With oak and elm, that decides whether you need paperwork first. We will measure properly on site. Nothing to pay for the visit.

Call 708-424-5885. See our Cook County pages, including Elmwood Park and Maywood, Oak Park.