To make the woodland pathway safer for residents, Yorkville is spending $50,000 on tree removal and habitat management at the 8.5-acre Wheaton Woods Park near Caledonia Park.

The wooded area is a natural, trail-designed park, replete with a picnic area and shelter, located at 205 Boombah Blvd. The site is near the new parks department and public works facility that is nearing completion with a $35.9 - 39.4 million price tag.

“Over the past 20 years, staff has maintained the woods to keep it safe for park users, but several large trees have been in decline for years and are becoming hazards to those using the park,” Tim Evans, director of parks and recreation, said in city documents.

The size of the undertaking is beyond the park’s equipment abilities. City council approved a $50,000 contract with Homer Tree Service at its Sept. 23 meeting.

In addition to removing hazardous trees and dead and decaying limbs, the crew is eliminating overgrowth in the underbrush and thinning out trees throughout the park.

“We wanted to make sure it was safe for walkers in there,” Evans said during the meeting.

Alderman Chris Funkhouser asked if the city could look into pricing options to help convert the wooded area into a native oak woodland ecosystem.

With the help of volunteers and parks staff, the city transformed Riverfront Park East into a haven of diverse, native trees to establish a healthier and more resilient ecosystem.

In the downtown riverfront habitat, the city planted indigenous species like red oak, eastern redbuds, Illinois pecan trees and oaks. The team planted more than 40 trees along the riverfront and also provided care to the area’s most mature trees.

The city spent around $2,000 procuring and installing new trees at Riverfront Park East.

Across several parts of town, the infestation of emerald ash borers resulted in the death of hundreds of mature ash trees. Around 250 green ash trees had to be removed from Riverfront Park East alone.

The parks department said they would provide the city cost options and a feasibility study for potentially restoring the ecosystem in Wheaton Woods Park.