A grove of more than 200 oak trees is planned for Illini State Park on the south side of the Illinois River near Marseilles as a tribute to armed forces members killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

The grove, scheduled for a late fall dedication, would be a companion to the Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial in Marseilles on the north side of the river.

"This will be a different kind of memorial," organizer Stephen Massey told The Times.

"It won't be concrete, bricks or statues.This will be a living memorial to these soldiers. It's because their lives ended that the life of this stand of trees will begin."

Massey told the La Salle County Board's Tourism Committee Wednesday he has the two-and-a-half-acre site at the park and the volunteer services of Boy Scouts and National Guardsmen who will plant the trees. Seneca High School students have volunteered to build benches for the grove.

Now all he needs are the oak trees.

Massey, the community relations manager at the Illinois Department of Transportation office in Ottawa, said the idea came to him though his membership with the state's Green Government Coordinating Council.

"I thought it would be really great to have a memorial for fallen Illinois soldiers from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. I came up with the idea of having one tree planted for every soldier that has fallen for the state of Illinois."

That number is now close to 220, "depending on what report you're looking at," he said.

Tree memorials are a well-established tradition.

After World War I, President Warren G. Harding and Illinois Gov. Len Small backed plans to plant memorial trees along highways. In Ogle County, a grove of maples was planted, one for each local soldier who died in France.

New York City's Van Cortlandt Park has a memorial grove established in 1949 that now has 39 oaks planted for men who served in World War II and the Korean War.

At Fort Steward, Ga., there are more than 400 Eastern redbud trees planted in recent years, each one honoring a member of the 3rd Infantry Division who died in Iraq.

"I thought that Illini State Park would be a really good location because of the fact that we have the wall already on the other side of the river. Then, in the park, we would have the tree memorial ...

"Basically, Marseilles would be the site in Illinois for people to come to who have friends or relatives that gave their lives in these conflicts."

Massey said other locations were proposed, but the "100 percent" backing for the project by Gov. Pat Quinn and Marc Miller, head of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, was key in establishing Illini as the location.

The site will be in what now is an open meadow at the end of the winding road that runs through the park, ending near the Marseilles lock and dam.

Plans also call for a 10-space parking lot, a walkway to the grove and a sign.

"There will be a plaque there. It's not going to have the names of every individual because that's going to change, unfortunately."

Massey needs to come up with 220 six- to 10-foot-tall white oaks, burr oaks or swamp oaks. The white oak is the state tree, Massey noted, but DNR experts said a variety of oaks would be wise.

"Initially, when I started, I thought I was going to use seedlings. But It turned out DNR said that was not going to work."

DNR officials also said his suggestion that oak trees be relocated from elsewhere in Illini State Park would not work either.

Massey learned he would need trees with the root systems wrapped in burlap balls and brought to the park.

"I've only got 15 so far."

Those are being donated by Ken Alleman of Tonica Nurseries.

Massey also sought participation by the Illinois Nurserymen's Association, but without luck.

"They say that the economy is too bad and they're not going to ask their people to do that."

Now Massey is hoping the county, Scouts and veterans groups, schools and individuals will help with cash or tree donations.

"Ball and burlap" oak trees cost from $50 to $70 each, he said.

"We'll get the trees trucked to the site. We just need to have the them donated."

Tourism committee members praised the project. Don Jordan, D-Streator, asked if the trees could be installed in stages.

"Yes, said Massey. "But it would just be so great to have our opening ceremony with a tree for everyone. We're not going to add to those trees in the future. We're just going to have whatever there is on the dedication date."

Participants will be recognized at the dedication ceremony, he said.

"Anybody who wants to jump on board and help with this would be totally welcome."

Massey can be reached at his IDOT office at 815-434-8414 or his cell phone at 815-257-8288. His e-mail is sa.massey@yahoo.com.