Edwardsville's Heritage Tree List Is Growing: City Encourages Addition Of More Notable Trees

To celebrate Arbor Day, the Edwardsville Environmental Commission is encouraging the community to showcase its most notable and long-standing trees, and to consider nominating them for inclusion in the commission's Heritage Tree Program.

The city's Heritage Tree Program was officially launched in September 2024 as a way to encourage the conservation of established trees, recognize some distinctive examples and to educate on the essential role trees play in a community. Since that time, approximately 15 trees have been added to the city's heritage tree register, and commission members would love to see that number grow. Anyone who knows of a tree in Edwardsville that may qualify for heritage tree status is encouraged to submit a nomination for the program, which began through the efforts of Ward 1 Alderman Chris Farrar.

Trees must meet one or more of the following criteria in the following categories for eligibility consideration:

• SIZE: The tree is in the top 10% of the species inventoried in Edwardsville.
• RARITY: It si a one-of-a-kind tree due to species type, characteristic, and/or a species of fewer than 10% of all inventoried trees in Edwardsville.
• HISTORIC OR NOTABLE EVENT: There is a documented association with a historic event of 75 or more years ago, and/or a more recent event of notable worth.
• AGE: The tree is more than 100 years old.
• SPECIAL ECOLOGICAL VALUE: The tree is shown to provide soil stabilization, an important genetic resource, or offers critical habitat for important plant or animal species.
• LOCATION: The tree is considered of public value as a prominent visual focal point as viewed from public streets and rights-of-way.
• AESTHETICS: The tree has a distinct or unusually appealing visual characteristic.

Some of the trees now listed as heritage trees are on private property and may not be publicly accessible. However, several are easily seen and enjoyed from the public right-of-way. Among those are trees at the Edwardsville Public Works building (200 East Park Street), the 1820 Colonel Benjamin Stephenson House (409 South Buchanan Street), and Lusk Memorial Park (535 Randle Street).

A map showing locations of the nominated trees is available on the Heritage Tree Program webpage. The page also includes an online nomination form and program details. Participation in the program is voluntary. Trees on private land would only be included with the land owner's written consent. Nominations will be evaluated by the city's horticulture coordinator in conjunction with the Edwardsville Environmental Commission.

Sarah Cundiff, who chairs the Edwardsville Environmental Commission, noted that trees not only beautiful a city, but also serve as critical habitats for wildlife, improve air quality, and provide cooling shade that helps to combat the urban heat island effect. Edwardsville was recently recognized as a 2024 Tree City USA, an honor bestowed by the National Arbor Day Foundation. Edwardsville has been honored as a Tree City for at least 23 consecutive years. Arbor Day is traditionall observed in Illinois and many other states the last Friday in April, which this year falls on April 25.