Tom Sisulak says that even as a child he was enchanted by Riverside’s canopy of trees. Oak, walnuts, maples, firs-to him that was what made Riverside so unique. He still feels that way.
And in order to make sure that Riverside’s remains the “village in the forest” he has organized a tree planting program that he hopes will add hundreds of trees to the village’s landscape for generations to come.
Some time during the middle of October, Sisulak and a group of volunteers from Riverside United Methodist Church, scouts and others will be planting up to 1,000 tree seeds in the wooded areas along the Des Plaines River. Then next spring, Sisulak hopes to add another workday, where volunteers can plant another 1,000 seedlings.
“In the past few years, I’ve noticed that the older trees in Riverside are really dying off at a fast rate,” Sisulak said. “In 10 to 20 years, we might lose a lot of those beautiful trees.”
So Sisulak approached Riverside village forester, Michael Collins, and pitched the idea of planting 1,000 seedlings in the villages forested areas near the river. The plantings were originally contemplated for last spring, but delayed because of the cicada emergence this summer.
By moving the planting date to fall, however, the idea of planting seedlings (very young trees, perhaps a foot high with trunks as small as a half-inch in diameter) wasn’t attractive, since the winter freeze would likely decimate the population.
Instead, Sisulak proposed planting seeds this fall, which will hopefully germinate in spring and, in the long run, produce sturdier plants than the delicate seedlings.
As for getting the seeds-they were free of charge. Sisulak collected acorns from the oaks in front of the village hall and scooped up walnuts and hickory nuts from other trees in the village. By late August he had collected 1,000 seeds. After the August rains, he laid out the nuts on a table outside to dry and squirrels had a field day. Still, by last week he had collected another 800 and expects to be fully stocked by mid-October.
According to Collins, the seeds will be planted in a few targeted areas along the river, in the area between the Scout Cabin and Indian Gardens, on the slopes of Swan Pond and on the riverbank along Fairbank near Swan Pond.
Collins noted that while the forested areas of the riverbank are not by any means barren, “the more trees the merrier in the wooded areas.”
Collins also said that while the goal is to plant 1,000 trees this fall and a 1,000 seedlings in the spring, there will still be a high mortality rate.
“The mortality rate is about 60 percent,” Collins said. “That’s the point of putting in many of them. You come out high in numbers with the hope of 50 to 60 percent muddling through.”
Planting seeds is not only a cheaper alternative to seedlings (which can cost anywhere from a quarter to $3 a specimen), if the seeds germinate they will also stand a better chance of surviving.
“If you can get germination with the seeds then you’re in good shape,” Collins said. “If they get going they have a much better chance of surviving.”
Sisulak’s an old hand at the tree/seed planting operation, and he hopes that the planting will become an annual event. He’s even invented tools to make the operation more efficient and effective.
“I’ve planted over 15,000 trees in Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana,” said Sisulak, a retired teacher, who lived for many years in Stoughton, Wis., just south of Madison.
Tree coop program continues
Meanwhile, Collins, urged residents who wish to have trees planted in the public parkways to participate in the village’s annual cooperative planting program. The cost of the trees is split 50/50 between the village and residents.
As of last week, just 15 residents had applied for be part of this year’s program, down from the typical 60 to 80 the village typically sees. The ordering deadline has been extended to Sept. 28 in order to get more resident participation.
For information on the cooperative tree program, call the village’s Forestry Department at 442-3590.