Kirkland residents dream of tree city Tree removal frustration grows into shared group with hopes for a greener community

By CAMDEN LAZENBY clazenby@shawmedia.com

KIRKLAND – About 10 months after some Kirkland residents expressed dismay at a village project which required trees to be cut down, the group has turned that frustration into a goal: to make Kirkland a green city.

Residents recently reformed the village’s Kirkland Tree Commission, a cooperative effort meant to enhance the community’s canopy in collaboration with the village.

Dozens of trees were removed by the village of Kirkland from the strip of grass between Kirkland neighborhood roads and the adjacent sidewalks in August 2022 to make way for a new curb and sewer system. Village officials said they’d tried to find a way to install the new sewer system without needing to remove trees but they determined removal was the “safest, most viable solution,” Village President Ryan Block said at the time.

The felling of those trees didn’t sit right with Kirkland resident Dawn Darling, 56, one of the founding members of the village of Kirkland Tree Commission.

Darling said Kirkland’s Village Board approved the creation of a tree commission four or five years ago, but it fell by the wayside in 2020.

“So when we went back to the board meeting to discuss all of these trees being taken down it was discovered they were favorable to us forming a board to be able to handle if something like this comes up again – the right way to handle it,” Darling said.

Formed in the fall of 2022, Darling said she and the six other members of the village of Kirkland Tree Commission “are still trying to work the kinks out,” but have ambitions to use the new commission to turn the village of Kirkland into a tree city.

Tree City USA is a 47-year-old Arbor Day Foundation program that encourages urban forests. In 2022, 3,559 municipalities were designated tree cities by the Arbor Day Foundation. According to the foundation’s website, trees and urban forests create cooler temperatures, cleaner air, higher property val- ues and healthier residents.

Trees can help to keep pollutants out of water ways, and can reduce urban flooding by managing stormwater runoff, according to village of Kirkland Tree Commission documents.

The tree commission also planted a swamp white oak tree in Behnke Park on April 28 as a way to celebrate Arbor Day.

Founding tree commission member Jeff Miller, 68, of Kirkland, said trees in his neighborhood were decimated by an Emerald Ash Borer beetle infestation.

According to U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Emerald Ash Borer beetle is responsible for the destruction of tens of

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Local News Brief

Jazz in Progress to perform June 10 at the DeKalb library

DeKALB – The DeKalb Public Library will host an after-hours concert featuring Jazz in Progress.

The free concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. June 10 in the library’s main lobby, 309 Oak St., according to a news release. Doors open at 6 p.m.

The band will perform modern jazz and big band music.

Jazz in Progress is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises funds for local community music programs, including the DeKalb, Sycamore, Genoa-Kingston, Hinckley-Big Rock, Indian Creek, Sandwich, Somonauk, Earlville and Leland school districts, St. Mary’s school in DeKalb and the DeKalb County Community Foundation.

For information, email samanthah@ dkpl.org or call 815-756-9568, ext. 1701.

STEM event planned

June 10 at DeKalb library

DeKALB – The DeKalb Public Library will host a mining engineering STEM event led by Society of Women Engineers volunteers.

The event will be held at 10 a.m. June 10 in the library’s Story and Activity Room, 309 Oak St., according to a news release.

The event is free and intended for students in second through fifth grade. Participants can explore mining

• TREES

Continued from page 6 millions of ash trees in 30 states.

“If you go up there now it looks like a wasteland,” Miller said.

The Emerald Ash Borer beetle had devastating effects on the tree canopy in Miller’s neighborhood because the majority of trees planted there were Ash trees. Had more diverse trees been planted, the impact of the bug could have been less severe.

Removing dying or dead trees isn’t the problem, but getting replacement trees planted in their place has been, Miller said.

A recommended tree list has been developed by the tree commission to help Kirkland residents identify trees that can be resilient to known infestations. The list also includes tree species that are safe to grow inside a parkway – the strip of land between the the street and sidewalk – without causing damage to the sidewalk or curb.

“We just are trying to support homeowners who are trying to put trees in front of their houses. Obviously our committee isn’t about controlling what engineering’s resource extraction with various experiments. Facilitators include data scientist Michael Cha, tech support manager Sahara Becker, and Society of Women Engineers member Rosana Fernandez.

Kindergarten and first-grade students may attend if accompanied by a parent. Because of limited space, the event is first come, first serve.

For information, email theresaw@dkpl. org or call 815-756-9568, ext. 3350.

DeKalb library to host screening of ‘Creed’

DeKALB – The DeKalb Public Library will host a screening of the 2015 movie “Creed” as part of a monthly program celebrating Black cinema.

The movie will be shown at 1 p.m. June 10 in the library’s lower-level Yusunas Meeting Room, 309 Oak St., according to a news release.

The screening is free and intended for teens and adults.

“Creed” tells the story of Adonis Johnson who never knew his father, world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed. Johnson heads to Philadelphia to be trained by his father’s rival turned friend, Rocky Balboa. Despite insisting he is retired, Balboa agrees to train Johnson.

The movie is rated PG-13.

For information, email brittak@dkpl.org or call 815-756-9568, ext. 2100. –ShawLocalNewsNetwork they’re putting in their own yards,” Darling said.

Kirkland Public Works Superintendent Jim Stark said he’s learned a lot since he was asked to join the tree commission when it formed.

“I appreciate it myself, I like trees ... I really don’t cut down trees unless they really have to come down. You know, there’s all kinds of stuff you can do to trim them to try and save them before you take them down,” Stark said.

The Tree Commission hopes that Kirkland’s Village Board will approve a new permitting process for the planting of trees in homeowners’ parkways. If approved, that process would create a path forward for new tree cover in areas of Kirkland that recently lost their shade.

Not all parkways will be deemed fit for the new trees, Stark said.

When a permit application is placed, Stark assesses the location to determine if a tree is permissible.

“My parkway on Main Street – I’m right by downtown, Main Street Kirkland – and I’ve only got a 2-foot parkway so there’s no trees going in that area,” Stark said.

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Local News Briefs

DeKalb park to host elder abuse awareness walk June 15

DeKALB – Elder Care Services will hold a Strides for Change awareness walk in honor of Elder Abuse Awareness Month.

The free walk will be held at 5:30 p.m. June 15 at Rotary Park, 1504 State St., DeKalb, according to a news release. Participants can help raise awareness about elder abuse. Swag bags and lemonade are available while supplies last. Attendees are encouraged to wear purple.

Registration is encouraged. To register, call 815-758-6550 or visit secure. lglforms.com/form_engine.

DeKalb, Sycamore townships to host electronics recycling

SYCAMORE – The DeKalb and Sycamore townships will host a free drivethru and drop-off electronics recycling event for DeKalb and Sycamore residents.

The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 10 at Sycamore High School, 427 Spartan Trail, according to a news release. Participants must bring a valid ID to show their DeKalb or Sycamore Township residency.

Items accepted for recycling include servers, laptops, VCRs, DVD players, printers, circuit boards, stereos, telephones, power tools, UPS batteries, metal, appliances, keyboards, wires and cables, mice, hard drives, computers, and non-CRT monitors. TVs will be accepted for $20 and CRT monitors for $10 per unit. Accepted methods of payment include cash or check.

Items not accepted for recycling include lightbulbs, household batteries or anything containing freon. For information, call 815-758-8282.

Chalk art event set for June 12 at the DeKalb library

DeKALB – The DeKalb Public Library will host a chalk art event for patrons to create chalk art.

The event will be held at noon June 12 in the library’s Haish Courtyard, 309 Oak St., according to a news release. The event is free and intended for children.

Participants can play group games, enjoy the outdoors or create art. No registration is required. For information, email theresaw@dkpl. org or call 815-756-9568, ext. 3350. –ShawLocalNewsNetwork

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