First, whose tree is it?
In the Village of Oswego, trees in the parkway, generally the strip between the curb and the sidewalk, are owned by the Village (Village of Oswego). Trees on your side of the sidewalk are yours. The Village says its arborist can sometimes offer advice on a private tree, but Village crews don't trim or remove privately owned trees; that work is at the owner's expense (same page).
The Village counts more than 19,558 parkway trees and asks neighbors to pitch in two small ways: water them during long dry spells, and do light pruning to keep sidewalks clear (same page).
How the Village keeps an eye on them
Inspections
A Village arborist checks parkway trees for trunk cracks, broken or hanging branches, blocked streets, sidewalks and signs, disease or insects, and dead or dying trees (Village).
Routine pruning
Trained staff work through one subdivision at a time, lifting branches to clear traffic, snowplows, garbage trucks, signs, bikes and walkers, following National Pruning Standards (same page).
Can't wait?
If a parkway tree needs attention before your street's turn, call Public Works at 630-554-3242 and the Village will send someone to look (same page).
If a freshly pruned parkway tree looks thin, there's a reason. The Village explains that pruning is a newer service, so some trees had never been pruned and the branches that need to come off are larger. Staff only remove branches that must go for safety or for the tree's health (Village of Oswego). For your own trees, here's what good pruning looks like.
The 50/50 Tree Replacement Program
When a parkway tree in front of your home has been removed, you can choose to join the Village's 50/50 program (Village of Oswego):
- You pick the species from a list the Village provides.
- You pay half the cost of the tree. The Village buys it wholesale.
- No charge for the rest. You aren't charged for the removal, the stump grinding or the planting.
- Sign up with the form on the Village page. A few weeks before planting, Public Works emails the list of available trees, the cost and how to pay to reserve yours.
- Planting happens in spring and fall. Depending on the weather, you may need to water the new tree once a week.
Questions about the program go to Public Works at 630-554-3242 (same page). Public Works is at 100 Theodore Drive, east of Plainfield Avenue and south of Oswego High School, open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays, with three arborists on staff (Village Public Works).
The bigger picture
In June 2024 the Village Board approved an urban forestry management plan prepared by Great Lakes Urban Forestry Management, as reported by Shaw Local. Its inventory counted 19,457 Village-owned trees, 1,404 planting spaces and 106 species, with maples making up 42%. It set a goal of raising tree canopy from 9.41% to 15% by 2044, and listed 335 Village trees for removal, 20 of them as priorities (same article). The plan aims to cut back on over-represented species and add ones that are under-represented or missing (same article).
A small note on numbers: the Village's web page says "more than 19,558" parkway trees, while the 2024 inventory reported 19,457 Village-owned trees. They were counted at different times, so we show both as published.
Oswego has been a Tree City USA every year since 1993. The Village says it meets the program's four requirements: a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a community forestry budget of at least $2 per person, and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation (Village of Oswego).
Live in Boulder Hill?
Boulder Hill is unincorporated, so the Village program doesn't apply there. The Oswego Township Road District removes dead and storm-damaged parkway trees and their stumps, but it doesn't replace them, and planting in the right-of-way isn't allowed (Oswego Township). See our Boulder Hill brush pickup guide for the Township's other yard rules.
And the tree in your backyard?
That one is up to you. If it's dead or leaning, our tree removal page walks through how the job usually goes and what to ask before anyone climbs.
Where this came from
Every page below was opened and read on Nov. 2, 2026. Programs change, so check the Village or Township before you plan around a date.