October 28, 2022
Journey to bringing native meadow and 200 native trees to 1.3 acres of vacant land
Community members included in the development and creation of the new space
DETROIT, Mich. –Arboretum Detroit and Detroit Future City (DFC) collaborated for a day of service to support the Elmwood Circle Forest, a reforestation and ecological restoration project on Detroit’s east side.
Elmwood Circle Forest is a planned community gathering space taking shape at the northeast corner of East Grand Boulevard and McDougall Street. The formerly vacant 1.3 acres of residential land is transforming into a lush, green, and welcoming neighborhood trail and forest ecosystem. The gathering space will also include ADA compliant boardwalk and seating in the forested area.
The initiative started in July of 2021 and is funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Fund’s Southeast Michigan Resilience Fund, General Motors Foundation, and AARP, and is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2023.
“With the Circle Forest project, we have the opportunity to heal and restore a landscape the size of a football field,” said Andrew “Birch” Kemp, Arboretum Detroit president and executive director. “After more than 300 years of unkept and unceded existence, this land is receiving life and love from hundreds of volunteers who in turn feel the healing of their own ecological grief. Healing our relationship with the land is the only way forward for us on this planet and we feel blessed to be able to engage in this work.”
Arboretum Detroit and DFC have received an outpouring of neighborhood volunteers as well as program participants from companies including General Motors and Rocket Companies, to develop the new community green spaces. Volunteers minimize labor costs and help cultivate relationships with Detroit residents and their neighborhoods, which contribute to the city’s overall health.
“Through the development of the Circle Forest and other sustainability initiatives, DFC is working to increase the scale and capacity of community-based organizations to build and steward vacant land reuse projects that contribute to the health, well-being and climate resiliency of neighborhoods in Detroit.” Sarah Hayosh, Land Use and Sustainability Director at DFC.
Both organizations also recently collaborated for a “Win Win Tree Program Workday and Tree Pickup” at the Arboretum Detroit Neighborhood Tree Nursery, where participants were eligible to select and dig up trees to take home. With over 100 trees and 20 species available, neighborhood residents could participate in an exchange to help cater to the trees in the Nursery, and residents were able to select a few to plant in their own yards. DFC supported the development of the tree nursery, constructed in 2019, through it’s Working with Lots program.
Elmwood Circle Forest is located at 3301 Palmer St in Detroit’s East Poletown neighborhood. For more information about the tree planting program or volunteer opportunities, visit arbdetroit.org/volunteer.