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About The Chicago Tree Project

The Chicago Tree Project was started in 2014 when the Chicago Park District was faced with the question of what to do with thousands of trees that had been infected with the Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive insect encouraged by climate change that has been destroying millions of trees in North America for the last ten years.  The Park District approached Chicago Sculpture International (CSI), and together they created a program that would give some of these sick and dying trees a second life as a work of vibrant public art.

Artists have addressed the trees in a variety of methods, with traditional carving and various media that have been integrated into the trees.  The resulting tree sculptures have been wide ranging in subject matter as well, addressing scientific, spiritual and environmental themes.  These sculptures offer unique and often unexpected encounters for visitors to Chicago parks. As long as they remain secure, the transformed trees remain standing.

This collaborative project between the Park District and CSI builds on the city’s reputation for great public art.  It expands the reach of public art in Chicago by bringing sculpture to geographically diverse neighborhoods throughout the city.  Also, what started out as a local endeavor has now become national and international, with other U.S. cities using the Chicago Tree Project as the model for their own tree sculpture projects, and artists from all over the country and the world submitting proposals and coming to Chicago to create unique sculptures.

In 2025, we’re proud to say that we brought a total of 63 tree projects to the Chicagoland area.

Also in 2025, we’re proud to say that we’ve inspired other tree project initiatives nationally, such as the Nashville Tree Project, Bozeman Tree Project, the East Chicago, Indiana tree project, as well as internationally in Hamburg, Germany.