Great Grassland is goal of all that tree-cutting in Orland Township

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Large piles of wood chips stand at the Orland Grassland site where a tree-cutting program is under way. | Larry Ruehl~Sun-Times Media

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Updated: February 10, 2012 8:34AM

There’s something abuzz in Orland Park, and it has everything to do with the buzz of wood-choppers and tree-cutting machinery.

A swath of trees is being cut down at the Orland Grassland, and wood chip piles as tall as 20 feet have quickly materialized just west of LaGrange Road along 167th Street.

The cutting there and along 104th Avenue is causing quite a stir, and some residents with environmental concerns are confused and even distressed.

“I’m seeing devastation, and it’s disturbing,” said Michelle Baldwin, a resident who regularly drives by the area.

But the work is all part of the ongoing restoration of the prairie preserve. That was explained Thursday night to residents who attended a regular meeting of the Orland Grassland Volunteers at the Orland Park Civic Center.

“The problem is that the area is populated with trees that don’t belong there,” said Pat Hayes, a leader of the volunteers.

The Orland Grassland is a 960-acre site that runs from 167th Street to 179th Street between 104th Avenue and LaGrange Road. It is owned by the Cook County Forest Preserve District, and for the past decade has been undergoing a major restoration including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Chicago District, Openlands, the Audubon-Chicago Region and the village of Orland Park.

By the end of winter, weather permitting, the tree clearing will include hundreds of trees along 167th Street, 104th Avenue and a portion of 179th Street.

“But it is part of a conservation plan, done by many reputable conservationists,” Hayes said.

She said the clearing is necessary to restore the health of the Orland Grassland. The trees being cleared are not native to the area and are inhibiting growth of quality trees, especially oaks, and shrub land essential for the survival of natural wildlife and the ecosystem.

Although the changes have long been planned, miscommunication has contributed to the problem. Most residents who attended Thursday’s meeting said they had not been informed about the massive clearing project, and to the untrained eye, seeing that many trees being cut down appeared more than a little unfriendly to the environment.

“We understand it’s necessary for the health of the lands, but it’s shocking,” said Kathy McElligott, who lives off 104th Avenue.

Even the Orland Grassland Volunteers were unaware as to the timing of the clearing.

“Pat (Hayes) didn’t even get 24-hour notice,” said Donna Ogrentz, editor of the “Bobolink,” the Grassland newsletter.

Hayes said she had asked to be notified before the clearing began, but since she was not able to get the word out, she was not surprised by the concerns expressed by residents at Thursday’s meeting.

The restoration plan is spelled out in contracts, so Hayes suggested residents with concerns about the clearing should contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

After the clearing, there will be about a 100-foot buffer between the habitat and the streets that includes some of the existing trees not being removed, Hayes said. That will be followed by controlled burns that prepare the ground for seeding of native plants.

Hayes said when the restoration is complete — that’s at least two years away — it will be wonderful. Ponds, meadows, woods and rolling hills will provide improved habitat for bobolinks, sparrows, yellow-breasted chats, orchard orioles and other species, according to www.orlandgrassland.org.

Hayes said there already is more wildlife there than before, and she expects it to grow with the project. A trail also is planned for the west end of the Orland Grassland.

A 26-foot mural at the Orland Park Public Library, 14921 S. Ravinia Ave., depicts what the habitat eventually will look like.

“There’s such a grand story to tell,” Hayes said.

For more information, visit www.orlandgrassland.org.