THE TREE WHISPERER

It’s clear that the City of Lake Forest’s new forester, Kelly Bougher, values the responsibilities of her job.

In 2024, recreational tree climber Kelly Bougher made it to the top of a 250-foot redwood with a tour group in California. “That was an epic experience in my life, physically, mentally, and emotionally,” recalls Bougher. “I learned a lot on the way up.” She now sits atop the City of Lake Forest’s Forestry Section as its forester, or arborist. Bougher ascended to the post from her assistant forester position in June 2025. “Every day is different, every tree is different,” she says. “I get to plan more and talk more with the residents of Lake Forest, as well as answer a variety of questions. I take pride in customer service and in problem-solving. If I don’t know something, I tell the resident, ‘I’ll find out and get back to you.’ I’m humbled by what I know and what I don’t know and strive to always keep learning.”

Folks have asked her about a tree’s health, about a risk to their abode—”Will this dying tree fall on my house?”—and about trespassing branches. Soon after learning how to walk, Bougher, a curious native of Chicago’s Northwest Side, liked to stuff sticks, rocks, and leaves into her pockets on camping trips in Michigan. “I’ve always had a passion for learning about the environment,” she says. An accompanying fervor—ecological restoration—followed.

Bougher concentrated on art while attending Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago and initially majored in the field at Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU). “Watercolor painting calmed me,” she says. But an intro course in environmental science at NEIU stirred her. Shortly after graduating with a degree in Environmental Studies, Bougher worked for six months as an aquatic plant maintenance worker at Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe. After working for close to six years in California for the federal Bureau of Land Management and for the state’s park system, Bougher returned to the Land of Lincoln and served the Forest Preserves of Cook County for two years and the Chicago Park District from 2018-2022.

The mission of the City of Lake Forest’s Forestry Section is to set the professional standard for municipal forestry by maintaining the landscape aesthetics of the community at a level exceeding all other municipalities in the country. “I’m happy whenever I’m able to inspire others to care more about trees,” Bougher says. “I love it when I get a call from a resident who wants to know all about the tree on their parkway. As the City’s forester, as someone who wants to be a mentor for her staff (five full-timers, three seasonal workers, and an apprentice), I strive to stay positive, to be encouraging and supportive, and to be patient. I’d like to inspire all of my colleagues to be open to new equipment and to new types of climbing.”

Bougher, who replants trees after hand picking them at nurseries, also finds time to be a spokesperson for the strong, silent types in Lake Forest. “I speak for the trees,” she says.

For more information, and to identify tree species on the City’s Interactive Tree Map, visit cityoflakeforest.com/forestry.