Forests and Woodlands Campaign

This Campaign's mission is to conserve, restore, and enhance the state's diverse forested ecosystems across natural, working, and developed lands.

Though Illinois forests cover a small fraction of the state's land area, they provide critical ecological services such as carbon storage, water filtration, and wildlife habitat connectivity. Currently covering 15% of the state's land area, Illinois' 4.9 million acres of forest support a large portion of the state's wildlife habitat and house much of the native plant diversity. However, these systems face mounting threats such as oak regeneration failure, land conversion, fragementation, herbicide drift, introduced dieseases, and invasive species. From this, a set of core objectives were made to define the desired outcomes for the next 10 years and beyond to help sustain and enhance Illinois' forested landscapes.

• Reestablish natural fire regimes to restore and maintain open woodland and forest communities, with particular emphasis on oak-hickory ecosystems.
• Improve structural diversity through timber stand improvement, managed harvest, selective thinning, gap creation, and protection of legacy trees and coarse woody debris.
• Enhance native species composition by reducing Invasive Species pressure, supporting native plant regeneration, and prioritizing rare and underrepresented species.
• Protect existing high-quality forest and woodland habitats through land acquisition, conservation easements, and dedication to programs such as the Illinois Nature Preserves System, ensuring long-term protection and management. Increase the extent and connectivity of large forest blocks to benefit interior-dependent wildlife and reduce fragmentation.
• Encourage sustainable management on private and working lands through landowner engagement, technical assistance, cost-share programs, and outreach initiatives.
• Monitor and respond to forest health threats, including pests, pathogens, and abiotic stressors.
• Increase capacity for forest conservation through partnerships, grant opportunities, and policy advocacy.
• Integrate forest conservation into land-use planning at local, regional, and state levels to promote connectivity and climate resilience.
• Establish and maintain a framework for data-driven monitoring and adaptive management to evaluate the effectiveness of conservation strategies over time.