The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County improves the quality of life for all DuPage County residents, and strives to protect and improve the county’s natural areas. It is a nationally recognized conservation agency that envisions a community in which all citizens share a connection with nature and an appreciation for cultural history.
County residents can enjoy trails, preserves, education centers, and activities. Programs include recreation, sports, and the arts. A calendar of events can help guide residents to what is happening in the preserve.
The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County by the numbers
Its 26,000 acres of woodlands, prairies, wetlands, and waterways contribute to cleaner air and water, help with flood control, create vital habitats for wildlife, and provide safe spaces where people can boost their physical and mental health. Each year more than 5.5 million people visit its 60 forest preserves, 175 miles of trails, and seven education centers, many participating in its 500+ recreational and educational programs.
More than just outdoor space, the Forest Preserve District focuses on restoration and preservation
The Forest Preserve District focuses on habitat restoration, seeking to improve the plant community within a particular ecosystem. Those efforts, which can take years, include removing invasive plants and then planting or seeding the area with native ones. In these cases, the goal is to create plant communities that can support the plants and wildlife that are normally associated with that particular ecosystem.
For over a century, the Forest Preserve District has been acquiring land in support of its mission “to acquire and hold lands containing forests, prairies, wetlands and associated plant communities or lands capable of being restored to such natural conditions for the purpose of protecting and preserving the flora, fauna and scenic beauty for the education, pleasure and recreation of its citizens.”
In the mid-1900s, undeveloped land in DuPage County was the norm and not the exception, but Forest Preserve District board members recognized early on these conditions would not hold. To guarantee future residents the benefits of a healthy balance between urban development and natural areas, they established a target ratio of 25 acres of forest preserve land for every 1,000 residents.
Today, with an estimated county population of 916,000 and nearly 26,000 acres of forest preserve prairies, woodlands and wetlands — 13 percent of the county as a whole — the Forest Preserve District has surpassed those expectations.
For information, call 630-933-7200 or visit dupageforest.org, where you can also link to the Forest Preserve District’s e-newsletter and Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok pages.
