GALESBURG, Ill. — Twenty-two volunteers gathered Saturday, Oct. 4, to plant 20 trees along the 300–500 block of North Prairie Street and the 200 block of East Grove Street.
Matt Olaveson and Adam Vitale hosted the event. The trees were supplied by Stoneleaf Nursery in Goodfield, GreenView Nursery in Dunlap and Timanda Nursery in Knoxville.
Volunteers planted a mix of species, including Prairiefire and Red Jewel crabapples, Frontier elms, Ivory Silk lilacs, Green Gable black gum, yellowwood, Autumn Brilliance serviceberry, Prairie Gold aspen, Royal Star magnolia and Redpointe maple.
The plantings are funded through the City of Galesburg by a $15,000 Community Canopy Grant from Trees Forever, working with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Morton Arboretum and the Chicago Regional Trees Initiative. The effort builds on Project 350, launched by Mayor Peter Schwartzman. Approximately 620 trees have been planted since 2022, with around 700 expected by year’s end. All sites were cleared through the Illinois JULIE system.
The next community planting is 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, at the Dale May Fire Training Center, 2233 Veterans Drive. For a free terrace or memorial tree, call Tom Simkins at 309-299-6959.
