# Openlands

> Chicago-region conservation nonprofit growing the urban forest through TreeKeepers and community plantings

Source: https://treerm.org/org/openlands · Updated 2026-11-08 · Data license: CC BY 4.0 (https://treerm.org/about#license)

## Facts

- Type: Nonprofit
- Scope: Regional
- Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Founded: 1963
- Website: https://openlands.org
- Volunteer sign-up: https://openlands.org/ways-to-give/volunteer-with-openlands/
- Donate: https://openlands.org/donate/
- Events calendar: https://openlands.org/events/
- Countries where they plant: United States
- Activity types: Urban forestry (primary), Tree care & maintenance, Education & advocacy
- Trees on record: 9,547 (larger of latest cumulative figure and sum of annual figures; trees planted or distributed)

## About

Openlands, founded in 1963, is one of the oldest metropolitan conservation organizations in the US and serves as the Chicago region's land trust. Its urban forestry work plants native trees with residents on public land in Chicago and the south suburbs, trains volunteers through the TreeKeepers certification course (running since 1991, more than 2,200 certified), awards TreePlanters Grants of 10 to 30 trees to neighborhood groups, and runs an Arborist Registered Apprenticeship. Openlands planted its 10,000th tree in April 2024 and also restores prairie and wetland and protects land across northeastern Illinois.

## Programs

- **TreeKeepers Certification and Program** — Tree care & maintenance (1991–present): Month-long certification course (offered in English and Spanish) after which volunteers plant, prune, mulch and inventory trees across Chicagoland, lead events and form neighborhood TreeKeeper chapters. https://openlands.org/programs/treekeepers-certification-and-program/
- **TreePlanters Grant** — Urban forestry: Grants to Chicago and near-south-suburb residents and groups to organize a community planting day of 10 to 30 trees on parkways, school grounds and vacant lots, with Openlands supplying trees, tools and two years of maintenance events. https://openlands.org/programs/treeplanters-grant/
- **Arborist Registered Apprenticeship** — Education & advocacy: Three-year US Department of Labor registered apprenticeship with Chicago-area tree care companies that trains entry-level urban forestry professionals. https://openlands.org/programs/the-arborist-registered-apprenticeship-program/

## Metrics

> Note: Openlands' Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 2025 states 'In FY 25, Openlands planted 1,3158 trees', an apparent typo; the 2025 annual report gives 1,103 trees planted in calendar 2025, which is the figure used here. The TreeKeepers cumulative count also varies by source: over 2,000 in the 2023 annual report, 2,212 on the program page, and about 2,400 graduates in press coverage.

| Metric | Year | Value | Cumulative | Program | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---:|---|---|---|---|
| Trees planted | 2023 | 1,050 | no (that year) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://openlands.org/2023/12/28/green-triumph-openlands-plants-1050-trees-in-2023-edging-closer-to-10000-tree-milestone/) Press release Dec 28 2023: 'the successful planting of 1050 trees in 2023' (772 in the City of Chicago and 278 in suburbs) |
| Trees planted | 2025 | 1,103 | no (that year) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://openlands.org/accountabilty-impact/annual-report-2025/) Annual Report 2025 web page, impact counters: '1,103 Trees Planted Across 11.03 Acres of Land', '10,000+ trees cared for across the region', '$680,500 Invested in Communities Through Urban Forestry', '12,756 Volunteer Hours' (counter values read from the page markup via a 2026 Wayback Machine capture because openlands.org blocks automated fetches) |
| Trees planted | 2023 | 9,547 | yes (to date) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://openlands.org/2023/12/28/green-triumph-openlands-plants-1050-trees-in-2023-edging-closer-to-10000-tree-milestone/) Press release Dec 28 2023: 'propels the total count of trees planted since 2013 to an impressive 9547'; the 10,000th tree was planted in April 2024 per the Apr 30 2024 release |
| Volunteers engaged | 2025 | 123 | no (that year) | TreeKeepers Certification and Program | Self-reported | [source](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/full_text/202601779349301405/IRS990) IRS Form 990 for fiscal year Oct 1 2024 to Sep 30 2025, Part III 4a: 'In FY25 trained 123 individuals' through the TreeKeeper Certification Course; 'TreeKeepers participated in 255 volunteer events, resulting in 4,446 trees pruned and 1,362 trees inventoried'. Matches the 2025 annual report's '123 new treekeepers trained in English and Spanish' |
| Volunteers engaged | 2026 | 2,212 | yes (to date) | TreeKeepers Certification and Program | Self-reported | [source](https://openlands.org/programs/treekeepers-certification-and-program/) TreeKeepers program page (2026 capture): 'For 30 years, 2,212 TreeKeepers and counting have been the eyes and ears on the ground' |

Confidence: self-reported is the organization's own published figure; independently verified means a third party confirmed it; estimated means TreeRM derived it and the note says how.

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