Trees are Public Health

We took the show on the road! Recorded from the rare oak savanna at North Park Village Nature Center, Raed Mansour (Director of Environmental Innovation at CDPH) and Melinda Escobar (Chicago Region Trees Initiative Tree Ambassador Specialist at The Morton Arboretum) discuss the benefits that trees provide, and how nature and public health "grow" hand in hand. The conversation covers everything from the community-driven Tree Ambassador Program and holistic value of trees to how Chicagoans can request a free parkway tree and Our Roots Chicago — the program that started it all. The North Park Village Nature Center was CDPH's tuberculosis sanitarium in the early 1900s, meant as a place for patients to heal in tranquility of nature. Now, it is a beautiful nature preserve offering hiking trails, educational experiences, an array of trees and animals, and more that spans nearly 50-acres on Chicago's North Side. Learn more about Our Roots Chicago: chicago.gov/ourroots Request a free tree: 311.chicago.gov or call 311 Apply to become a Tree Ambassador: https://chicagorti.org/program/tree-ambassador-program/