District parks lost several large trees and many more were recently removed due to age and decline from disease. This fall, the Parks Department will plant 40 trees concentrated in the most heavily impacted parks, including Century Park and Deerpath Park. It won’t offset what was lost, but rest assured we will continue replanting yearly. Of the 40 trees selected, there are 21 different varieties. As stewards of our parks, we strive to lead by always diversifying what we plant in order to prevent disease and ensure our urban forest remains as resilient as possible. Rick Krocza, Parks Foreman, and James Schubert, Horticulturist, hand select and tag our trees at the nursery. They lay out the exact location of each tree to be planted, taking into account its size, spacing, preferred growing conditions, longevity, visual impact on the park, and ease of long term management.