Looking for ways to make the area around St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Waukegan greener, the church’s Green Team began investigating the cost and logistics of a group of volunteers planting trees around the parking lot and elsewhere.

Learning that the cost of young trees could be between $500 and $700, the Rev. Mark Rollenhagen, the church’s pastor, discovered a TreePlanters Grant program offered by Openlands, a Chicago-based organization dedicated to ensuring cleaner air and water, and protecting natural habitats.

Rather than pay for the trees, Rollenhagen said there is no cost to the grant program, but the property owner agrees to water them for three years. He put the effort in motion and Rick Riddle, a member of the Green Team, began recruiting volunteers.

Learning they could get more trees than originally considered, Riddle said they approached neighbors of the church, including Whittier Elementary School located across the street to the east. Rollenhagen said the area met the criteria for the grant.

“They were very receptive to it,” Rollenhagen said. “It has to be in an economically distressed area with a small tree canopy. Trees offer us hope. It is a resistance campaign of hope, of trusting that despite these trying times, there is a future and it will be good.”

Rollenhagen and Riddle led a group of more than 50 volunteers from the church and school in planting 33 trees on Oct. 18 in the neighborhood on Lewis Avenue in Waukegan, beautifying the area and helping the environment around it.

The Rev. Mark Rollenhagen, right, of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Waukegan and Rick Riddle talk about the tree planting they helped organize Saturday. (Steve Sadin/For the Lake County News-Sun)

Of the trees planted, 13 are on church property, 10 are in parkways in front of the homes of residents to the north and west of the church, and 10 are at Whittier. In some cases, they gave the school’s neighbors a more scenic view than a school parking lot.

Riddle said there were more trees in the area in the past. Many were elm and ash trees. The emerald ash borer wiped out many of the ash trees, and Dutch elm disease claimed the elm trees years before. Rollenhagen said the new trees are native to Northern Illinois.

Knowing Openlands was bringing 33 trees. Riddle said it was time to find places to put them. Ringing the parking lot perimeter was one solution. Then church members went to neighbors living across the street from the parking lot. Two went in front of the church.

“We knew we could do the watering if the neighbors are unable to do it for the next three years,” Riddle said.

A new row of trees planted Saturday in Waukegan is part of a volunteer effort by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and Whittier Elementary School, with help from Openlands. (Steve Sadin/For the Lake County News-Sun)

A member of the Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 Board of Education, Riddle said he approached Whittier Principal Andy Kramer. Kramer said he was aware of Openlands programs and liked the idea of being part of the effort. The environment is part of the curriculum.

Both students and teachers will be actively involved in taking care of the 10 new trees. The school already has a garden which includes vegetables. A club will be formed to handle watering the trees.

“Three teachers will help the kids with the watering,” Kramer said. “They will do it at recess. Ideally, some parents will be helping us, too. We want this to be something more than watering trees.”

When planting day came, Tonatiú Rodríguez, a forestry program specialist at Openlands, arrived with the trees and tools to guide the volunteers through the effort. He said in an email that support will continue through Openlands’ arborists.

“Openlands provides the education, organization, supplies, expertise and quality control on planting day, working with the (volunteers) to host an educational and engaging tree planting event,” Rodriguez said in the email.

Rodriguez said that with a low tree canopy in the area around St. Paul’s, Waukegan is a good place to plant more trees. The city is identified as a low canopy area. It was an opportunity for Openlands to help grow the city’s tree canopy.

“Trees are essential to our long-term health and wellbeing,” Rodriguez said. “They clean our air, reduce stress, provide shade that cools our communities, and so much more. Neighbors, volunteers and families (came) together to connect, engage with one another and create lasting benefits for their community and the environment.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/24/church-tree-planting/