Five tree service companies from Springfield, Champaign, Bloomington and beyond donated their services at Camp Butler National Cemetery Sept. 16 as part of the Saluting Branches National Day of Service.
Saluting Branches—Arborists United for Veteran Remembrance is a nonprofit that holds an annual day of service where volunteers from tree and landscape companies donate their expertise to remove, prune, plant and care for trees at national cemeteries and veteran hospitals, medical centers, clinics and nursing homes across the U.S., Puerto Rico and Mexico.
The 2026 Day of Service involved 5,000 volunteers at 100 locations, representing a value of $5 million in donated services, according to Saluting Branches’ website.
Locally, Steve Green, a master arborist at Green View Companies, has coordinated the event at Camp Butler for many years. Green was site leader again this year and for him, it is also personal. His father was career military and his mother is buried at Camp Butler.
The team of arborists, tree climbers and other professionals removed six dead, dying or damaged trees and removed dead limbs from other trees at Camp Butler. They also planted three oak trees and a zelkova. Participating companies were Wright Tree Service (a national sponsor headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa), the city of Champaign, Oak Bros Tree Care from Bloomington, and Housley Tree Company and Green View Companies from Springfield.
Green said that overnight rain and soft ground made for some challenging conditions staging work trucks, but helped soften the ground for tree planting.
“Crew morale stayed high despite the heat, since it is so rewarding using our skills to honor our veterans and their families in such an important and historical place,” he said.
Several local businesses supported the crew. Pepsi Company provided hydration supplies, Mel-o-Cream Donuts supplied coffee and donuts at the morning opening and Cured Catering provided lunch.
The work performed at Camp Butler is greatly appreciated by the cemetery caretakers, since it helps them avoid the time and significant expense of hiring contractors. Camp Butler National Cemetery, located near Riverton, occupies a portion of what was the second-largest military training camp in Illinois during the Civil War. It is one of the 14 original national cemeteries authorized by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862. More than 25,000 people are interred in the cemetery, including 866 Union and 776 Confederate soldiers who died at the camp between 1862 and 1865. Green says that some of the trees are as old as the cemetery.
