Oaktober Blitz Kicked off on October 28, 2017!
@ Maine East High School
Here is what Oaktober Blitz calculated in just one area of town! One particular area of oaks has fostered a rising voice of community activists who are passionate about preventing oak trees from being cut down by development. This group, now called Friends of Shibley Oaks, can be found on Facebook and meets to discuss ideas that focus on successful tree conservation efforts. The Shibley Oaks are located at the corner of Shibley and Busse Hwy. This is considered an oak savannah with 16 oak trees, most of them over 100 years old. Contact Rob Bowe for more information [email protected]
Using the National Tree Benefit Calculator, citizen scientists came up with these yearly benefits:
Total diameter of 18 tree trunks (2 large elm trees were incorporated into the calculations) equals 480.1 inches
Stormwater runoff reduction equals 73, 284 gallons.
Carbon Reduction equals 22,270 pounds
Electrical energy savings equals 3,218 kwh
Benefit in dollars $4,670
Using the National Tree Benefit Calculator, citizen scientists came up with these yearly benefits:
Total diameter of 18 tree trunks (2 large elm trees were incorporated into the calculations) equals 480.1 inches
Stormwater runoff reduction equals 73, 284 gallons.
Carbon Reduction equals 22,270 pounds
Electrical energy savings equals 3,218 kwh
Benefit in dollars $4,670
To Celebrate Oak Awareness Month in Illinois,
Go Green Park Ridge and Maine East High School Ecology Club
co-sponsored an Oaktober Blitz!
Oak trees are being threatened by invasive species, diseases, and are not commonly replaced. Yet oaks are a keystone species! A variety of wildlife depends on oaks to survive including 557 species of caterpillars which help feed birds and other animals. A 25 inch diameter oak tree can also intercept 3,492 gallons of storm water per year, reducing storm runoff and flooding.
This Oaktober Blitz was a citizen science effort will document old oak communities in Park Ridge by marking, measuring, and identifying the tree species.
Teams met at Maine East’s Oak Savanna (Dee & Dempster entrance) for a kickoff presentation by The Morton Arboretum. Maine East Rhythm Project (MERP) also provided some inspiration and entertainment. Attendees met with a trained leader and were sent to various sites to document information about oak trees.
For questions contact:
Cindy Grau [email protected] or 847 384-8136
Shelby Riha [email protected] or 630-362-1600
Go Green Park Ridge and Maine East High School Ecology Club
co-sponsored an Oaktober Blitz!
Oak trees are being threatened by invasive species, diseases, and are not commonly replaced. Yet oaks are a keystone species! A variety of wildlife depends on oaks to survive including 557 species of caterpillars which help feed birds and other animals. A 25 inch diameter oak tree can also intercept 3,492 gallons of storm water per year, reducing storm runoff and flooding.
This Oaktober Blitz was a citizen science effort will document old oak communities in Park Ridge by marking, measuring, and identifying the tree species.
Teams met at Maine East’s Oak Savanna (Dee & Dempster entrance) for a kickoff presentation by The Morton Arboretum. Maine East Rhythm Project (MERP) also provided some inspiration and entertainment. Attendees met with a trained leader and were sent to various sites to document information about oak trees.
For questions contact:
Cindy Grau [email protected] or 847 384-8136
Shelby Riha [email protected] or 630-362-1600
