Woodland

More than trees

Look closely at the plants, animals and trees around you. The woodland is home to squirrels and chipmunks, who feed on the plants, and owls and hawks, who feed on the squirrels and chipmunks.

Rotting wood and decaying leaves provide food for invertebrates such as worms, millipedes and beetles. Much dead organic material also means a rich environment for the fungi and bacteria that aid in decomposition.

Renewing the forest

Tree Campus USA recognized CLC for our commitment to plant and sustain healthy community forests. A healthy woodland also includes mosses, ferns, lichens, flowering herbs, grasses and sedges.

Our campus, like other areas of the Midwest, has lost many ash trees to the Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive insect. Planting a wide variety of tree species helps keep forests strong, building their collective resistance to invasive species, harmful insects and fungi.

Woodland benefits

At CLC: Let in the sun

CLC manages local woodlands by preventing the growth of invasive species, such as buckthorn. We also cut branches to allow more sunlight to reach the understory.

We are planting new trees around campus for beautification and to extend a habitat corridor linking the many green spaces around Grayslake.

In Lake County: Grow oaks

Oak savannahs and woodlands once dominated the Illinois landscape. When planting trees on your property, consider the mighty oak. These strong trees shelter many other species, such as the redheaded woodpecker.

As oak trees disappeared, woodpeckers moved away. The colorful birds play an important role throughout the woodland. They remove Emerald Ash Borer from ash trees, for example. Let’s bring them—and our ash trees—back to Lake County.

Around the world: Thriving people

About a third of the planet is covered in forests. Seventy million humans live in forests, and another 1.6 billion depend on woodlands every day.

Forests and woodlands:

• Help prevent erosion
• Produce rich topsoil for crops
• Release water vapor
• Capture rainfall
• Filter pollution

Woodlands even help urban humans thrive by giving us green recreational spaces. Time spent in forests seems to boost our well-being—reducing cardiovascular disease, respiratory issues and diabetes, as well as supporting our mental health.