Programs

Healthy Habitat Series

Identify and replace woody invasive plants, improve health and conservation practices at home, and learn best management practices for large properties.

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Protect the natural resources and places that benefit people, wildlife, and the economy.

The Chicago region was once a rich tapestry of prairies, oak and hickory savannas, wetlands, forests, bluffs, and ravines. As more people move into the region, we must manage land to be as healthy as possible.

Learn the best practices and techniques for managing large properties.

Learn how to clear and replace the invasive woody hedges and screens from your yard.

Woody invasive plants are a huge problem in the Chicago region. The invasive European buckthorn alone accounts for more than one-third of the Chicago region’s trees, causing harm to local ecosystems by outcompeting other plants and saplings, impairing bird health, and releasing the toxic chemical emodin into soil and waterways. We need your help to clear as many of these plants as possible from private property.

Create your own healthy home landscape.

This brochure contains advice for homeowners to create a healthy ecosystem in their backyards. With a few simple changes, you can create a landscape that welcomes wildlife and is free of invasive species.