River Forest officials marked the receipt of a CN Railway tree planting grant with a ceremonial tree planting at the public works pumping station June 23.
The $13,500 EcoConnexions From the Ground Up grant will help fund the village’s annual spring and fall tree planting programs. The EcoConnexions program provides grants to municipalities and organizations to promote the greening of communities situated along the CN Railway network, which serves Canada and the Midwest and Southern United States, including River Forest.
Since 2012, the program has funded 253 projects and contributed to planting approximately 135,612 trees. Known as CN Railway, the full name of the railroad company is Canadian National Railway Co.
On hand for the ceremonial planting of a Princeton elm were village officials, Sustainability Commission members and representatives from America in Bloom, an Ohio-based organization of horticulture industry professionals that administers the program.
Laura Kunkle, America in Bloom executive director, congratulated the village for being one of only 10 organizations to be awarded EcoConnexions grants, thanked CN Railway for funding the program and praised the sustainability commission.
“Great things happen when volunteers step forward,” she said.
Dr. Marvin Miller, America in Bloom treasurer and member of the organization’s board of directors, spoke of the environmental benefits of the program in particular and the “power of plants” in general.
Susan Charrette, River Forest’s sustainability commission co-chair, cited the tree planting program as “one example of the village’s commitment to sustainability.”
She was joined at the ceremony by commission members Gary Lennon, co-chair, Jamie Hayley and Manolo Avalos.
Brian Skoczek, public works superintendent, said 90 different species of trees are on the village’s parkways and cover 51 percent of the tree canopy, which he said is highest among Chicago area municipalities.
Also on hand for the ceremony were Cathy Adduci, village president; Matt Walsh, village administrator, Jack Bielak, director of public works and engineering; and Seth Jansen, management analyst.
Jansen said staff members applied for the grant in the fall and received notification the village had been awarded the grant in December.
The public works department manages the care of more than 8,000 parkway trees through regular inspections and trimming and plants roughly 120 new trees each year. Over 80 parkway trees were planted in spring 2025.
“I’m so proud of our public works department and the sustainability commission,” Adduci said.
America in Bloom promotes nationwide beautification through education and community involvement by encouraging the use of flowers, plants, trees and other environmental and lifestyle enhancements. According to the organization’s website, the group envisions communities across the country as welcoming and vibrant places to live, work, and play – benefiting from colorful plants and trees; enjoying clean environments; celebrating heritage; and planting pride through volunteerism.
CN is Canada’s largest railway, in terms of both revenue and the physical size of its rail network, spanning Canada from the Atlantic coast in Nova Scotia to the Pacific coast in British Columbia across approximately 20,000 route miles of track. In the late 20th century, CN gained extensive capacity in the United States by taking over such railroads as the Illinois Central.