As part of its bicentennial celebration, Oakland County donated 5,000 oak saplings to not-for-profits, local governments and schools in the county to enhance the natural cover provided by its namesake tree and help replace some of the oaks lost across the county to the deadly Oak Wilt disease.

The City of Novi received 125 saplings of three different oak species which are more resistant to oak wilt - bur oak, white oak and swamp white oak. On Friday, May 22, the saplings were planted by a contractor in these locations:

• Along the slope above the new drive into Wildlife Woods Park to enhance the other larger tree plantings that will be added along the drive later this spring
• Along the west edge of the future Northwest Novi Park, to help screen the neighbors in Andelina Ridge from users of the future and add valuable habitat to that park
• Along the new trail passing through ITC Sports Park

While oaks are not fast-growing trees, they are very long-lived (up to 400-500 years) and support hundreds of species of butterflies and moths, and the birds who feed their young caterpillars, so they will provide very nice aesthetic and habitat additions to the parks as they mature.