Novi will celebrate three decades of Tree City USA status this year, as the City has now been recognized for the award from the Arbor Day Foundation (ADF) for the 30th year.

To earn a Tree City USA accreditation, a city must meet the following standards each year:

1. A Tree Board or Department that’s legally responsible for the care of all trees on public property must be in place.
2. A basic tree care ordinance must be in place.
3. The community’s forestry program must have an annual budget of at least $2 per capita. - Novi’s 2021 forestry expenditures cost $7.90 per capita, less than the average spending of other Tree City USAs in Michigan, which was $9.85 per capita in 2020.
4. Communities must host an annual Arbor Day observance event and an official Arbor Day proclamation must be passed by public officials* *The requirement for an in-person event was waived in 2021 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Novi also earned its 12th consecutive Growth Award from the ADF for going above and beyond the four Tree City USA standards. The following activities contributed to Novi’s Growth Award:

• The city planted 721 trees and 583 shrubs in 2021.
  • 314 trees planted along streets
  • 407 trees planted in City parks
  • 583 shrubs planted in City parks
• The City’s contractors pruned 2,547 street trees in 2021 to improve growth form, remove deadwood, and reduce safety hazards.
• Novi carried out invasive species removal projects to address invasive buckthorn in Rotary Park and removed invasive phragmites from parks and public Rights-of-Way throughout the city.
• The city also collaborated with the Oakland County Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas cost-share program to remove even more phragmites.