Helped by a $9.7 million grant from the U.S. Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forest Program, Detroit is about to see an acceleration in the number of trees planted in underserved neighborhoods. The award is going to the Greening of Detroit, a local non-profit group that has already planted over 147,000 trees in the cities of Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park since its founding in 1989.
Until the 1950s, Detroit was known as “The City of the Trees.” Hoping to regain that title, the Greening of Detroit joined the city of Detroit, American Forests and other organizations to launch the Tree Equity Partnership last year. The coalition is planning to plant 75,000 trees in the region over five years.
Gina Owens, Eastern Regional Forester, said in a news release that “increased tree canopy has countless benefits for our cities and our well-being. Trees improve air quality, reduce stress, encourage safety, and create spaces to recreate and gather.”
The project is part of a larger $1 billion investment in trees and greenspaces across the country, with funding coming from the Biden-Harris administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. In announcing these Urban and Community Forestry grants, the Forest Service wrote, “Studies show that communities with access to trees and green spaces are associated with improved health outcomes, reduced crime, lower average temperatures, and an influx of other kinds of investments and new economic opportunities.”
More than just planting trees, the Greening of Detroit also focuses on providing job training and educating area youth about their local, natural environment.
“This project includes engaging residents annually in community-supported volunteer tree-planting events,” the non-profit explained in an Instagram post. “The plan also includes school-based environmental education programming, summer youth employment programming to introduce Detroit teens to environmental career pathways, and workforce development programming to train and place underserved Detroiters in tree care jobs.”
Greening of Detroit President Lionel Bradford told the Detroit News that the group will receive the funding in $2 million annual increments over five years. They typically raise $4 million a year in fundraising, he said.
The organization works with “community partners” to plant trees all over the region. Their application process ensures the best possible outcomes by giving residents the resources they need to ensure the trees survive and flourish. This includes helping facilitate the planning phases, supporting community outreach efforts, providing professional assistance, tools, and planting supplies, ensuring the site has sufficient volunteers needed, and providing instructions on how to maintain the new trees.
In a statement about the program, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, “These investments arrive as cities across the country experience record-breaking heat waves that have grave impacts on public health, energy consumption, and overall well-being. Thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we are supporting communities in becoming more resilient to climate change and combatting extreme heat with the cooling effects of increased urban tree canopy, while also supporting employment opportunities and professional training that will strengthen local economies.”
THREE KEY FACTS:
- Detroit non-profit the Greening of Detroit is receiving $9.7 million to accelerate the planting of trees in underserved communities in the Detroit area.
- Communities with access to trees and green spaces see improved health outcomes, reduced crime, lower average temperatures, and improved air quality.
- The $9.7 million grant comes from the U.S. Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forest Program as part of the Biden-Harris Inflation Reduction Act.
