Detroit beautifying city, putting people work by planting 75,000 trees

DETROIT (FOX 2) - The City of Detroit plans to plant 75,000 trees over the next five years.

"It's really about investing in people, it's about investing in neighborhoods, it's about the quality of life, it's about the climate crisis," Sen. Debbie Stabenow said.

The project is the result of a partnership with DTE Energy and Greening of Detroit.

"It's more than just about planting trees and changing landscapes, but it's about changing lives," said Lionel Bradford, the president of Greening of Detroit 

Since 1989, Greening has planted135,000 trees, employed 2,000 young people, and trained 1,000 adults in forestry and landscaping. Now, even more trees are coming.

"Really fundamentally start to re-shape the future of Detroit from a beauty perspective, from an environmental perspective to invest heavily in the city of Detroit with tree cover," said Jerry Norcia, the CEO of DTE.

So far, 200 trees have already been planted as part of this initiative. Some of them can be seen along the Lodge Freeway.

Mayor Mike Duggan says there are 300 scrapyards throughout the city, properties that could be vastly improved by seeking out the ugliest sites and planting trees.

"Can you imagine what this city would look like if you managed to do two things at once, planted 75,000 trees for the environment but also created sites of beauty where people have been staring at scrapyards? Could we do those things together?" he said.

They're betting they can do that and more. Trees absorb carbon and create shade and cooling to combat the climate crisis.

"The greatest health threat from climate change is extreme heat, and trees are our No. 1 defense against extreme heat. They're also a powerful defense against air pollution," said Jad Dudley, the president and CEO of American Forests. "They're even important for our mental health."

Mental health, the physical health of people, and the environment, and the economic health of the community – the Detroit Tree Equity partnership aims to plant the trees, create 300 jobs, and invest $30 million in neighborhoods over the next five years.

"Planting trees, addressing climate change, putting people to work, and beautifying the city - that's amazing," said Dr. Homer Wilkes, the undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.