Tree Preservation

To help advance the goal of increasing the tree canopy and improve the survivability of newly planted live oaks, the Town has started the Oak Island Adopt-A-Tree Program.

This program allows participants to "adopt" a newly planted live oak tree, providing a tree name and ensuring it has a guardian to watch over it during the most sensitive sapling years.

There are two different ways to participate in the program, as a:

Tree Provider

• A one-time donation of $1,000 reserves your tree name with no further cost or program commitment!
• This donation provides for the initial cost to purchase and plant the tree, as well as watering for the first two years.

Tree Manager

• With no initial cost to participate, this options requires a 24-month commitment to water the tree every week for the first two years!
• Current estimated costs to water is $9 per week.
• Tree Care & Watering Schedule(PDF, 97KB)

Program Benefits

In addition to helping the support the many benefits provided by live oak trees, participants will also receive the following benefits:

• Tree Adoption Registry: Your tree's personalized name will be recorded on the Town's Tree Adoption Registry Map, and made available on a dedicated page of the Town Website.
• Story Map: Your information and the meaning of your tree's name will be added to an online "Story Map" which will chronicle the story of how your tree got its name, sponsor, or dedication.
• Physical Sign: Your tree's name and location will be included in physical signage located within Town Hall at 4601 E Oak Island Dr.
• Presentation: All program participants will receive special recognition during a special ceremony at a future Arbor Day event.
• Decal & Shirt: Participants will receive a special Program Member Decal(JPG, 127KB) to display in the door or window of their home, businesses, or organization, as well as a Tree Manager T-Shirt(PNG, 341KB) to help further promote the program.

Important Notes

Although efforts will be made, the Town of Oak Island may not replace any trees damaged by storms, emergency response, participant negligence, or as a result of man-made damage.

All donations received from Tree Provider members will go directly to fund the procurement and support of new trees. At this time donations are not tax-deductible (this may change).

Adoption & Information Requests

To view available trees or learn more about the program, please submit an Adoption & Information Request Form.

In 2022, the Town commissioned a Tree Canopy Cover Assessment. This Assessment mapped tree canopy (TC), possible planting area (PPA), and analyzed how they are distributed throughout Oak Island’s town boundary, zoning, right-of-way (ROW), and census block groups. For the purpose of this Assessment tree canopy refers to percentage of tree canopy coverage for the town’s total land excluding water bodies.

Funding for this project was provided in part through an Urban & Community Forestry Grant from the North Carolina Forest Service, Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service, Southern Region.

The Final Report from the Assessment was presented during the November 14, 2023 Town Council meeting, and found that in 2022, Oak Island had 59% tree canopy cover and 23% possible planting area, and the other 18% of the town was classified as unsuitable for planting without significant land modification. The Town's total area, including water bodies, was categorized by 56% tree canopy, 2% shrubs, 21% non-canopy vegetation; 4% soil / dry vegetation; 12% impervious surfaces, and 6% water.

The 7,093 acres of tree canopy in Oak Island provide ecosystem benefits valued at over $2.6 million per year through air quality improvements, stormwater runoff prevention, and carbon sequestration

Tree Canopy Assessment(PDF, 13MB)

Also in 2023, the Town completed the process of tagging 400 individual trees on Town-owned property, as part of the Tree Preservation Project.

This tagging effort took 17 days to complete, and included areas in Bill Smith Park, the Nature Center, May Moore Park, Barbee Street / Shipwreck Park, Hannon Templeton Dog Park, Town Hall, the Middleton Park Complex, and the Arboretum.

The Tree Preservation Project targeted Live Oak and Longleaf Pine trees at or approaching 100 years old (heritage size). The diameter at breast height (DBH) for Heritage Live Oak and Longleaf Pine is approximately 15 inches and 30 inches, respectively. The project placed a numbered, aluminum tree tag on the tree, noted species, latitude / longitude, measured DBH, and noted the health of the tree.

The Department prepared GIS maps of the locations, showing individual tag numbers, pictures of individual heritage trees, and recorded all data The data is available on the stormwater Department page of the Town Website Additionally, the maps and data are planned to be converted to an online GIS format were the public can interface individual tree data and pictures.

In 2025, the Town planted approximately 200 Live Oak Trees in the in the Town Right-of-Way (ROW).

This effort took place in the areas of:

• E Oak Drive between NE 40th and NE 63rd streets
• E Holly Drive NE from NE 40th to NE 79th streets
• W Oak Island Dr.

These areas were selected based on a recent map showing tree canopy loss from 2007 to the present, highlighting significant damage from hurricanes and new development.

Additionally, on West Oak Island Drive a total of 28 Bradford Pear trees were removed before being replaced with live oaks. As additional funding becomes available, more live oaks will be added within the ROW on Oak Island Drive, extending to the end of the Island.

This effort to replace Bradford Pear trees with live oaks should help create a more resilient and sustainable urban forest.