Geneva Park District plants 60 oak trees for 'Oaktober'

In response to advocacy from the Chicago Region Trees Initiative and its partners across the state, Gov. Bruce Rauner has designated October OAKtober, Oak Awareness Month in Illinois!

On Oct. 25, the Geneva Park District staff assembled at Sandholm Woods Park on the east side of Geneva and planted 60 white oak trees to acknowledge the governor's proclamation and to celebrate OAKtober.

"Sandholm Woods was selected as the inaugural site for OAKtober tree plantings as there are already several mature white oak trees within the park and on the property," said Larry Gabriel, Superintendent of Parks and Properties. As stewards to the public, it is important to preserve and maintain such properties for future generations; hence, the decision to add additional younger oak saplings.

"The oak saplings were purchased as small seedlings and grown to size in the Geneva Park District greenhouse. The parks staff was involved in the planting of the trees to allow each staff member to have a degree of "ownership" of the project. In future years, other sites will be selected for planting," said Larry Gabriel, Superintendent of Parks and Properties.

Oak-Awareness month is vital in Illinois because oaks are critical to healthy woodlands. They are a keystone species, providing food and shelter for more than 500 animals and habitat for numerous plants and fungi.

"We hope to engage the community in OAKtober. Our goal would be to reach out to our residents, as well as, school and Scout groups to assist our parks staff," Gabriel said.

Historically, oak ecosystems were the most abundant forest type in the Chicago region, but in the last 150 years, development, changes in fire regime, and the prevalence of invasive species has caused dramatic reductions in their abundance. In the 1830s, oaks made up 60 percent of the region's trees, but currently they account for only 5 percent of the region's trees. Oaks are not regenerating in our natural areas, and without action we could lose our oak-dominated forest.

"OAKtober is a perfect way to preserve our land and these essential ecosystems for future generations and we look forward to involving the public in the upcoming years as we continue to fortify our oak tree population at different sites throughout Geneva," said Sheavoun Lambillotte, executive director of the Geneva Park District.