Resident urges Kankakee to revive urban canopy, join Tree City USA and fund tree program

Deb Terrell, a Kankakee resident of 36 years, urged the Kankakee City Environmental Services Utility Board on Feb. 17 to make restoring the city’s tree canopy a formal priority, saying trees lower temperatures, clean air, reduce stormwater runoff and boost local business traffic. "Trees matter not just because they're pretty...they lower the surface and air temperature, they clean our air, they reduce the effects of climate change," Terrell said.

Terrell told board members she has handed out a written proposal and cited studies to support the benefits of an urban forestry program. She said Kankakee has "reapplied and we're in the final steps of rejoining Tree City USA," a membership she described as key to unlocking grant opportunities.

Terrell recommended the city establish a formal tree commission to oversee planting, protection and public education, and asked the board to commit funding at a recommended rate of $2 per capita to support the initiative. "One of the things you can do with that money is hire a grant writer," she said, arguing that grant-writing capacity would help the city recover several times the investment.

The board did not take immediate action on the proposal during the Feb. 17 meeting. Terrell left materials with the board and said she would be available after the meeting for follow-up.

The proposal and Terrell’s suggestion that Kankakee rejoin Tree City USA appear in the meeting packet, according to her remarks. Any formal steps — such as creating a tree commission or allocating per-capita funding — would require later board or council action and budgetary approval.