Iron Belle Tree Plantings in Southwest Detroit

Three hundred trees are being planted in Southwest Detroit to improve environmental and living conditions within a degraded area of the Rouge River watershed. The plantings will stretch from Detroit’s Patton Park to the newly renovated Kemeny Park and roughly follow the route of the Iron Belle Trail, a statewide trail that will connect Belle Isle in Detroit to Ironwood in the Upper Peninsula. The project connects two economically challenged neighborhoods, Springwells Village and Boynton, long separated by heavy industry, and includes over 500 acres on both sides of the Rouge River. The three hundred trees will help avoid 17,700 gallons of runoff into the Rouge River and improve air quality.

The project is being supported by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the United States Forest Service. The grant is being managed by Southwest Detroit Business Association (SWDBA), the project led by Professional Engineering Associates, Inc., and the public outreach coordinated by Friends of the Rouge.

The trees will be planted in the fall of 2018 and the spring of 2019. Native trees will be used when possible. Some non-native hardy trees that can survive the poor air quality of the area will also be included.

Mature tree in Kemeny Park, view facing northeast

List

• Red Maple
• Green Mountain Sugar Maple
• American basswood
• Encore Landon Planetree
• Red Oak
• Valley Forge Elm
• Tulip tree
• Princeton Elm
• Washington Hawthorn
• Black Locust
• Eastern Redbud
• Common Hackberry
• Eastern White Pine

For more information, contact Theresa Zajac at SWDBA, theresaz@southwestdetroit.com, (313) 842-0986.

Citizen forester Elaine Piotrowski works to plant a tree in Patton Park, view facing north towards Dix Avenue

Citizen forester Lindsey Schad removes wire from tree she and Peggy Harp are planting in Patton Park, view facing northeast towards Woodmere Street

Citizen foresters George Gomez and Lori Fagan unwrap a red oak they will plant in Patton Park, view facing west towards Dix Avenue

Citizen foresters Lindsey Schad and Peggy Harp dig a tree hole in Patton Park, view facing northwest towards Dix Avenue

Citizen foresters Lindsey Schad and Peggy Harp plant a Green Mountain Sugar Maple in Patton Park, view facing northwest towards Dix Avenue

Citizen foresters Parker Jean, Lori Fagan and George Gomez work together to plant a tree in Patton Park, view facing north towards Dix Avenue

Greening of Detroit Community Forester Drew Decker bring soil for the tree planting in Patton Park, view facing southwest

Greening of Detroit employee Ayatallah el Amin and citizen foresters Ellen Beeman and Mollika Bierna plant a tree in Patton Park, view facing north towards Dix Avenue

Greening of Detroit employee Ayatallah el Amin (left, yellow hood) digs a tree hole with citizen foresters Ellen Beeman and Mollika Biernat, view facing northwest towards Dix Avenue

Greening of Detroit employees Chris Berry and Melvin Banks plant a tree in Patton Park, view facing north towards Dix Avenue

Red oaks awaiting planting in Kemeny Park

Greening of Detroit staff Melvyn Banks, Ayatallah el Amin, and Frank Anderson plant red oaks on the north side of Detroit’s Kemeny Park, view facing northwest.

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. (not all prohibited bases apply to all programs).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building,1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.