Falling Tree Limbs Raise Safety Concerns in Chicago Ahead of Storms

A little more than a week ago, a man from Chicago was happy that he was not injured on account of a tree that had fallen on his vehicle as he was traveling in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago.

Now, a woman who lives in the Auburn Gresham area on the South Side is concerned that the same thing might happen to her personally. The woman stated that a tree that has been losing branches near her house could come tumbling down at any minute due to the fact that windy weather is predicted to be present in storms that are expected to arrive in the Chicago area on Friday.

Additionally, the city is making an effort to improve its response to the dangers that gusty winds pose to towering trees.

Eliscia Chappell cares deeply about the Auburn Gresham neighborhood in which she lives.

“There are parks in the vicinity,” she remarked. “The parks are nearby.” “I love being close to the Metra.”

In addition, Chappell like the mature trees that are located on her block.

“If you look around, you see plenty of mature trees,” she explained to me.

A good tree, a tree that was deteriorating, and a tree that was in poor condition were the three trees that Chappell pointed out. During the course of this week, a massive branch fell from the final of those three trees.

Branch heights ranging from seven to eight feet, according to Chappell.

During the month of March, yet another massive tree branch fell to the ground.

“Two weeks ago, I was out here putting in a window box, minutes before another fell right here,” Chappell explained to reporters.

To say that Chappell and her neighbors do not have any sense of safety is an accurate statement.

“I’m concerned with my life, and the life of my family and neighbors,” she stated in her statement.

Chappell was unable to convince city officials to cut down the tree that was located on the public right-of-way, despite the fact that he had called 311 multiple times since January. It is anticipated that there will be severe gusts on Friday night, and she is concerned about the potential outcomes.

“It scares me,” she explained to me, “because these branches have been falling off consistently.”

People are concerned all around the city, particularly in light of the fact that fallen tree limbs have already caused issues within the span of just a couple of weeks.

When Miguel Ares was driving his car in Bucktown on Monday, April 7, winds caused a tree to fall onto his vehicle. The incident occurred at the intersection of Leavitt and Lyndale streets.

He stated, “God was with me,” and I believe him. “I wish I hadn’t been hurt,” she said. Currently, I need to get a new automobile.

Residents, such as Chappell, have stated that they require the city, and not a higher authority, to keep an eye on potentially hazardous trees.

“It shouldn’t take the news to get involved for the city to come out and maintain their trees,” Chappell stated to reporters.

Cole Stallard, the Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation, stated that the single most problematic tree on Chappell’s block is still very much alive, despite the fact that branches had fallen off of it. As a matter of fact, he dispatched an individual to the location on Wednesday afternoon, and he assured me that the city will begin pruning as early as Friday.

According to Stallard, the city of San Francisco has more than 600,000 trees on public roads around the city. Prior to the year 2023, he added, the department relied mostly on 311 calls for tree pruning, which amounted to an annual average of 30,000 trees.

“Area trimming” is a method that specifies a proactive approach rather than a reactive one, and the department has just moved to using this method. When it comes to area trimming, the department collaborates with aldermanic wards to guarantee that trees are trimmed, regardless of whether or not such trees were the subject of 311 complaints.

City staff are already pruning 90,000 trees on an annual basis through the use of area trimming.

Chappell is interested in one thing regardless of the approach.

“Just check to make sure that the trees are safe,” she advised the audience.

According to Stallard, if there is any advantage to the strong winds that are occurring at this time of year, it is that the leaves that are on the trees are not yet prepared to let the wind to readily pass through them.