In the 1980s, Dr. Shin Theke Kang and his wife, Tae Sue Kang, made a long-term decision to protect a piece of land in southwestern Will County, Illinois, rather than develop it.
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Kang → make → it
Over the decades, the Chicago couple restored former agricultural areas, planted thousands of trees and cared for the woodland along Horse Creek.
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couple → restore → Creek
Now, all 126 acres have been acquired by the Forest Preserve District of Will County and will become Horse Creek Preserve, Kang Woodland.
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acres → acquire → County
The announcement, reported by WJOL, marks the transition of a privately protected landscape into a public natural area.
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announcement → report → area
The property contains more than 32,000 surviving trees, including black walnut, oak, maple, ash, pine and cherry, as well as a historic bur oak believed to be hundreds of years old.
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property → contain → years
The new preserve will carry the family name as a lasting tribute to their conservation efforts.
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preserve → carry → efforts
A different decision in the 1980s
When Dr. Shin Theke Kang and Tae Sue Kang acquired the Illinois property, they could have viewed it as land for future development or agricultural use.
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they → acquire → development
Instead, they chose to preserve it.
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they → choose → it
The couple began protecting the property in the 1980s, when much of the surrounding landscape was still shaped by farming and other human activity.
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much → begin → farming
It became a decades-long effort to care for the land and improve its natural character.
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It → become → character
Some portions of the property had previously been used for agriculture.
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portions → use → agriculture
The Kangs began reforesting those areas so they could complement the older trees that had remained along Horse Creek.
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that → begin → Creek
That approach required patience.
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approach → require → patience
Newly planted trees need years to become established, and not every sapling survives.
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sapling → plant → years
The couple continued the work even though the full ecological benefits would not be visible immediately.
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benefits → continue → work
Today, the result is a mature landscape that contains woodland, open areas and a creek corridor.
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that → contain → woodland
What began as a private conservation decision has now become the foundation of a public forest preserve.
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began → begin → preserve
Planting thousands of trees
The Kangs hired a company to plant approximately 40,000 trees across the property.
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Kangs → plant → property
Many survived without irrigation, according to the Forest Preserve District and local reports.
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Many → survive → District
The surviving trees include black walnut, oak, maple, ash, pine and cherry.
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trees → survive → walnut
Together, they form a varied woodland rather than a single-species plantation.
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they → form → plantation
A diverse tree community can provide different types of habitat throughout the year.
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community → provide → year
Some trees produce nuts or fruit, while others offer nesting spaces, shade and shelter.
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others → produce → spaces
A mixture of species can also make the woodland more resilient to disease, pests and changing weather conditions.
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woodland → make → disease
The planted trees now stand alongside legacy trees that were already growing near Horse Creek.
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that → plant → Creek
That combination gives the property both young and mature habitat.
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combination → give → habitat
Reforestation also changes the physical character of the land.
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Reforestation → change → land
Tree roots help stabilise soil, fallen leaves return nutrients to the ground and branches create cover for birds, mammals and insects.
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branches → help → birds
The Kangs’ work therefore involved more than adding trees to an open field.
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work → involve → field
It helped rebuild a functioning woodland ecosystem over many decades.
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It → help → decades
One of the property’s most notable natural features is a large bur oak that is thought to be hundreds of years old.
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that → think → hundreds
The tree had been growing along Horse Creek before the Kangs began their restoration work.
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Kangs → grow → work
It represents a link to the landscape that existed before much of the surrounding land was cleared or cultivated.
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much → represent → land
Their thick branches, rugged bark and large acorns provide shelter and food for wildlife.
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branches → provide → wildlife
Older trees can also contain cavities and deadwood that support birds, bats, insects and other organisms.
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that → contain → birds
A tree that has survived for centuries can serve as a living record of the region’s environmental history.
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that → survive → history
It has endured changes in land use, storms, droughts and generations of human activity.
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It → endure → activity
The newly planted trees may eventually reach a similar age, but the bur oak gives the preserve an immediate sense of deep time.
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oak → plant → time
It is one of the natural landmarks that makes the property more than a recently created woodland.
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property → make → woodland
A preserve along Horse Creek
The new preserve is located in Custer Township in the southwestern part of Will County.
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preserve → locate → County
…and 73 more, not listed.
The Aporia
