Greetings Eric,
I'm not familiar with any pre-forestry or forestry curricula in the greater Chicago area as there are only two degree programs certified by the Society of American Foresters in the state of Illinois: Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
However, most public higher-ed institutions have curricula in botany, environmental science, soil science, plant biology, pathology, entomology, and even arboriculture/urban forestry - all of which are integral components within the broad field of a forestry-based curriculum.
There are some natural resources based degree programs that can be found online: University of Illinois, Oregon State University, University of Idaho, University of Tennessee at Martin, etc. I believe these higher-ed online programs offer BS/MS degrees and/or certificates.