Over the next six years, the village of Romeoville will plant 2,500 native trees within village limits under its tree-replacement program.

Many will be brand-new plantings, but a portion of the trees will be replacements for existing invasive species that will be removed “because they are either already dying or pose a threat to the environment,” the village said in announcing the program.

Plantings will fill open spaces that have lost trees over the years due to storms or damaged/dying trees within residential subdivisions, roadside right-of-ways, and on park sites or village-owned properties, the village said.

The program is slated to start this fall with 55 trees being removed, the village said.

In the spring, 470 trees will be planted throughout Poplar Ridge, Heritage Place, Malibu Bay, Marquette Estates/Landing and Lakewood Estates, the village said.

The trees will be sourced locally from The Fields on Caron Farm, which is just 6 miles from Village Hall.

“Native trees are better suited to grow in our soil and climate,” Mayor John Noak said in the announcement. “Non-native species can have fragile wood prone to breaking, causing a danger to the environment around them. This program not only beautifies Romeoville, but [also] restores the balance of native trees that have grown in this area for generations.”

The tree-replacement program is part of the village’s efforts on conservation and sustainability, the village said. Earlier this year, the village began encouraging residents to plant monarch butterfly waystations, promoting the use of rain barrels, and forging partnerships and support for local events such as the Forest Preserve District of Will County and Will County Nature Foundation’s native plant sale and the Conservation Foundation’s monthly volunteer cleanup days at O’Hara Woods.