DNR, Arbor Day Foundation to Distribute New Trees
Detroit Tree Recovery program aims to replace trees lost to disease, disaster, or pests.
The emerald ash borer arrived in the Detroit area in 2002. Over the past 15 years, the invasive pest from Asia has spread throughout Michigan, destroying millions of trees.
While its presence in southeast Michigan has abated, Michigan Department of Natural Resources forester Kevin Sayers says the burrowing green pest has no known predators to feed on it.
“There really is no natural enemy here in Michigan,” Sayers says.
The DNR and the Arbor Day Foundation have teamed up to distribute free containerized trees to Detroit residents who’ve lost trees to pests, disease, and natural disasters such as the historic windstorm on March 8, 2017.
Sayers tells WDET’s Pat Batcheller the agencies will hand out up to a thousand young trees on a first-come first-serve basis on Saturday, April 22, 2017. The event is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. in the band shell parking lot on Belle Isle.
Click on the audio player to hear the conversation.
