Brook Forest Community Association
By Pizzo & Associates, Ltd.
The Brook Forest community is in the Village of Oak Brook and is bounded by Midwest Road on the west, Oak Brook Road on the south, Interstate 88 on the north, and Illinois Route 83 on the east. The area contains single-family homes on estate lots. This watershed area has been developed and urbanized, resulting in a significant loss of infiltration capacity, thereby increasing, and concentrating overland flow, and subsequently causing considerable bank and streambed scour of the creek. Ginger Creek flows from west to east through the area, with a total length of approximately 1,400 lineal feet from the dam downstream of Midwest Road to Regent Drive. Our firm was tasked with woody species removal that targeted non-native trees, in the initial assessment we found most of the trees along the stream bank were undesirable or in a state of decay that were dangerous to have in the natural area. The shoreline erosion was to be dealt with by the installation of native plants and seeds. Deep-rooted native plants are installed directly into the coir log and will take the place and function of the coir log once it biodegrades. Native species of wildflowers were to also be installed behind the large organic debris and will serve the same function as those installed into the coir log. 100 feet around the shoreline was to be seeded and planted with native plants allowing for better water filtration and helping protect areas that are on the edge of and beyond the floodplain.
