April Fools’ Day Parody News Release: FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT TO HOST WORKDAY FOR TREES

It’s been spring for almost two weeks, but the state of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s woodlands has forestry staff members dismayed. Trees are still drab and leafless, and colorful buds have not appeared on crab apples or redbuds. So, the District is taking an unusual step to spruce things up: It’s inviting supporters to special nature workdays on April 1 to attach faux leaves to trees.
      Volunteers can help with several tasks. They can gather fallen leaves from the forest floor, paint leaves springtime green, or attach the painted leaves and fill in the barren skyline. Efforts will be underway all day at over a dozen locations.
      “This may seem like a radical step, but we take our jobs as stewards of our forests seriously,” says Dr. Nathaniel Hawthorne of the District’s Office of Natural Resources. “We care for over 25,000 acres of public land, and our natural areas should be visually inviting to both visitors and wildlife.”
      Experts don’t expect the glued-on substitutes to last for long. “In just a few weeks the trees should be leafing out on their own, but we feel that this short-term improvement will be worth the time and effort if it will coax visitors out into the forest preserves to enjoy the season,” said Hawthorne.
      He added that while any volunteer efforts will be appreciated, he urges people not to rearrange their schedules in order to attend. After all, the workdays are on April Fools’ Day. 

      Though the leaf-painting workdays are a joke, the District’s care for trees is not. Trees are an important natural resource. They provide homes for wildlife, reduce stress in people, provide a cooling effect on the surrounding environment and reduce pollution. One acre of mature trees is estimated to absorb the amount of carbon dioxide produced by one car driven over 26,000 miles.
      Trained District foresters manage its native-plant nursery, where they grow hundreds of trees and shrubs in dozens of species every year. They also work to combat the dangers of nonnative pests such as emerald ash borers and gypsy moths. In fact in summer the District is partnering with the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the Slow the Spread Foundation to conduct aerial treatments to suppress gypsy moth populations across DuPage County. An open house on Tuesday, April 2 from 5 to 7 p.m. at District headquarters, 3S580 Naperville Road in Wheaton, will offer information about the insects and the efforts to lessen their impact on our local forests.
      Good things happen when you explore the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s 60 forest preserves and five education centers. For information on ways to experience conservation, education and recreation in your neck of the woods, call 630-933-7200 or visit dupageforest.org.