Illinois Will Plant 58,000 Trees Along Tollways
(CBS) -- Illinois Tollway officials have announced plans to plant some 58,000 trees along its interstate roadways in coming years.
The tollway wants to plant a thousand trees for each of the 58 years since its toll roads first opened.
The Morton Arboretum, which is along the Reagan Tollway, is working with the agency.
Arboretum President and CEO Gerard Donnelly says road salt is—of course—an issue. He says his experts are helping the tollway select trees that can withstand the salt and the sometimes harsh conditions around heavy traffic.
"It's really quite amazing to see how trees actually can survive some of these really unnatural conditions, and yet that's where we really need them the most, where people are concentrating," Donnelly tells WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore. "We need what trees can provide in those kinds of urban environments."
Donnelly also discusses climate change and the health of the urban environments during "At Issue," airing 9:30 am and 9:30 pm. Sunday.