Chicago is tackling climate change one tree at a time—and newly released figures show that 2025 was a big year for one of our city’s most important green programs.
This year, Chicago reached a goal of 68,000 new trees planted since 2022, according to data from Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office.
Here’s what the number means for local environmental conservation efforts.
Chicago’s Our Roots Initiative and Climate Action Plan
The number represents 90% of the city’s annual goal as part of the ‘Our Roots Chicago’ initiative which serves to expand Chicago’s tree canopy.
The program is a part of the city’s larger Climate Action Plan, with tree cover aiding a number of vital environmental functions and helping to offset the impacts of global warming.
Here are just a few of the benefits of increased tree cover in Chicago according to the Arbor Day Foundation:
- Lowered energy bills – trees help conserve energy by increasing shade cover and lowering the need for air conditioning.
- Reduced pollution – tree canopies directly remove pollutants from the air and alter pollution concentrations by reducing air temperature
- Decreased urban heat islands – Due to their heat-regulation properties, trees help combat the urban heat island phenomenon wherein warmth-trapping materials like concrete and asphalt spur dangerously high inner city temperatures.
- Flood mitigation – Trees can help reduce the impacts of floods by absorbing rainfall and slowing water runoff.
- Community beautification – Tree canopies simply make our neighborhoods more beautiful, thus creating healthier communities.
City leaders are aiming to plant even more trees in the coming months, with a total goal of 75,000 new trees slated for completion in 2026.
“A robust tree canopy is essential to public health and the fight against climate change, however, there are unacceptable disparities in tree coverage depending on where you are in the city,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson in a statement.
“I’m proud of our collective work, coming together to take bold action to create more equitable, healthy, and sustainable environments in communities across our city.”
To learn more about Chicago’s climate action plan, click here.