‘Tis the season for severe weather in Michigan.

That means it’s also the season when DTE officials say fallen trees can hit power lines and lead to outages.

Only about a third of the utility’s electric grid is buried underground.      

So DTE’s Director of Vegetation Management and Operations, Bill Hutchinson, says trimming trees near power lines is a priority.

This story is a part of WDET’s ongoing series, the Detroit Tree Canopy Project.

The Grow Hamtramck program in the city of Hamtramck is hoping to plant a thousand trees in four years.

Community and Economic Development Director for the City of Hamtramck Isabel Allaway says it’s a part of a grant-funded urban forestry project to increase the city’s tree canopy and increase shade in the densest city in Michigan. 

“We did some inventory in 2019 to determine what available public planting spaces there were in our city, and we pursued this grant funding and were awarded it after we found over 1,200 available planting spaces at that time,” she says.

Allaway says the funding will focus on generating requests from residents to determine where to plant 1,000 trees in the city. 

Contractors, which include an arborist team and people who plant and maintain the trees in their first year of life, take care of the rest. 

“We’re about a year and a half into what is a four year program, and we’ve planted about 400 trees so far of that 1,000 trees,” she shares.

Careful planning

Allaway says the city works with an arborist team and the Davey Resource Group, the urban forestry program coordinator for this project, to determine which trees should or should not be planted in the city.

“We want to make sure that we’re maintaining species diversity and that we’re not planting too many trees of the same variety in close proximity to each other to maintain the health of the urban tree canopy,” she says.

Allaway says they the city is planting trees on the public right of way that are 3 feet to 5 feet wide, between sidewalks and streets. That’s to minimize cracks, sidewalk disruption or from trees not going too far over people’s homes.

“So we’re planning about 70% small trees in those spaces, and the residential right of ways on those residential streets are really our highest priority for generating requests,” she expresses.

Growing benefits

She says along with increasing the tree canopy, planting more trees reduces the heat index, provides shade and increases the feeling of safety for pedestrians and cars. 

“A tree-lined street reduces the speed at which someone will drive a vehicle down that street, because it narrows the sight line,” she explains.

Allaway says it also increases property values for homeowners.

“We’re really conscious that our residents live in a city that’s surrounded by sort of a collar of industrial properties, and so trying to make sure that we’re mitigating those impacts for our residents is really important to us,” she says.

Allaway says the trees should also help with absorbing stormwater and groundwater, due to the flooding in Hamtramck.

People can sign up for a tree or call the Community and Economic Development Department at 313-800-5233 extension 818 for an over-the-phone intake. They can also email treerequests@hamtramckcity.gov or fill out a survey.

The survey is available in Arabic and Bangla.

This story is a part of WDET’s ongoing series, the Detroit Tree Canopy Project.

Researchers are using digital technology to improve forest management strategies.

Michigan State University scientists have employed a 3-D mapping technology called LIDAR—which stands for light detection and ranging—to make a digital model of a pine plantation.

Dave Carter is an assistant professor of Silviculture at MSU. He says LIDAR can survey areas faster than foresters.

“In terms of area, that person may only cover like 1% to 5% of the total stand, whereas a LIDAR measurement would conceivably cover like the whole stand aerially, and maybe accurately count and measure 90% to 95% of the trees in some cases.”

After LIDAR scans are uploaded, an AI model simulates different management strategies and finds the most effective ways to remove or apply treatments to trees, or even predict the effects of tree thinning.

“And we were just trying to demonstrate that that workflow was possible, where you could take that simulated thinning, pass it off to a model, have it project what the future yield would be as a result of your thinning, and then do that a number of times and figure out which method is best.”

Carter says AI can be faster and more precise than traditional methods of thinning, saving time and money. He says this technology could eventually be used by tree farmers as well as conservationists

This story is a part of WDET’s ongoing series, the Detroit Tree Canopy Project.

Keweenaw County will become home to Michigan’s first public forest authority. 

The Nature Conservancy purchased 32,000 acres of forest land in Keweenaw County in 2022. Recently, county commissioners voted to create a local board to manage 20,000 acres of land in partnership with the conservancy. 

Robin Meneguzzo is the CEO of the Keweenaw Community Foundation. She says residents have four goals for forest management. “One is to protect the cultural and historical features of the land. One is to keep it a working, healthy, and intact forest, the third was to maintain government revenues, and the fourth was to maintain public access.” 

Newly expanded legislation opened the door for the forest authority by allowing small rural communities in Michigan to manage their own forest resources.

Meneguzzo says the project is uniting members of the community. “This is a really amazing example of a community coming together that has very different views on how land should be used or managed.” She says 29 different groups worked together for around 4 years to complete the project.

Meneguzzo says the forest covers around 15% of Keweenaw County’s footprint and is used for hunting, fishing, foraging, and hiking. 

Voters can choose forest authority board members in the November general election.

This story is a part of WDET’s ongoing series, the Detroit Tree Canopy Project.

Mt. Arvon, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, is the highest natural point in the state.

It’s also a draw for prospective developers.

But the private company Lyme Great Lakes Timberlands aims to keep that peak pristine with only minimal cutting for maintenance.

It’s part of a conservation easement affecting about 73,000 acres of land in the area.

Lyme’s co-General Manager Amber Marchel says the effort is a balancing act between protecting forestland and safeguarding Michigan’s logging industry.

(Interview edited for length and clarity.)

Amber Marchel: This is a working forest conservation easement. So not only is Mt. Arvon involved but there’s actually a larger set of acreages, 73,000 roughly, that’s going to be protected by this. And Mt. Arvon is one of the great scenic parts of it. But there’s a lot of other types of habitats as well. This includes things like moose habitat, deer wintering complexes, a magnitude of rivers, lakes, streams. And then also protection around the Yellow Dog River Corridor and special trout streams as well. This conservation easement was put into place between Lyme and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources with the goal of ensuring it stays as a working forest into perpetuity. To put it plainly, it’s not that the land is being locked up, it’s just making sure that it’s a forest forever. And then still have it actively managed and accessible by the public for numerous types of recreation, things like fishing, hunting, kayaking, ATV and snowmobile use. All will be protected under this easement.

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: Why did you guys decide to do this?

AM: First and foremost, it’s gonna protect this large swath of land forever and keep it as a working forest. We hear a lot about folks moving to Michigan from other parts of the country. There’s definitely an increased real estate pressure in this area. It’s not uncommon for large blocks of land to be parceled up over time and that makes management more difficult from both a forestry perspective and from a wildlife landscape level perspective. So this project ensures that it’s never gonna be subdivided, never gonna be fragmented, it’s always gonna be kept as a working forest. What does that do? It balances conservation and the working forest economy here in Michigan. It’s gonna support local mills, logging contractors and the regional forest economy, which is about a $27 billion-dollar industry in Michigan. So it’s a big deal up here and that’s what this forest conservation easement aims to protect. It’s going to make sure that those jobs and the forest that they’re tied to remain together into perpetuity.

QK: How will it protect jobs? If you’re going to have a certain area that should be left alone so that it becomes old growth forest, then no one’s able to use that for logging or other timber-related things.

AM: There are parts of the easement that are going to have less active management. One of those areas is Mt. Arvon specifically. That’s a very rare location. It’s Michigan’s highest natural point. There are certain protections up there that’s gonna really minimize management. So that might seem counterintuitive, thinking how can we protect jobs if areas aren’t gonna be harvested? But that’s a very small portion of this 73,000 acres in total. So the way that it facilitates those jobs over time is that it makes sure it’s a large block of land. You’re not dealing with fragmentation where maybe 40 or 80 acres gets sold off, therefore making even access and very simple things to facilitate timber management difficult over time. This ensures that whole block is together in perpetuity. There are parts of the easement that do limit management to some extent, but they’re pretty isolated. And one of those is on the top of Mt. Arvon, to ensure we protect some of the scenic value and the overlook area.

QK: President Trump had enacted tariffs on Canadian lumber, which many U.S. home builders relied on. He said they could make it up by harvesting more from U.S. forests. Given that, has there been any reaction from the logging industry in your area to maintaining this forest on Mt. Arvon or to conservation moves in general?

AM: For the forest products economy here in Michigan, we’re actually quite fortunate. It’s still a struggle with rising costs, especially fuel as of late. But we do have a pretty robust forest products industry here. We’re very fortunate to have a lot of sawmills within striking distance of this conservation easement. Not only sawmills, but pulp mills are especially important. There’s entire regions of the country where they don’t have that luxury. So, although it can still be a difficult industry to operate in at times, the Great Lakes states are pretty good spots to practice forestry. And we feel very lucky to have the supply chain that we do, which is another reason why it pays to keep this forest land together into perpetuity. It helps keep these local mills and contractors going for the foreseeable future.

QK: In regards to the Mt. Arvon area, has there been any pushback from the logging industry about you guys not allowing anybody to go there?

AM: I haven’t heard of any pushback in terms of the light touch management on top of Mt. Arvon, mainly because it is such an isolated area. I think people understand when we’re talking 73,000 acres versus that immediate location on top of Mt. Arvon proper. It really is a small portion of this footprint. And you have to weigh your options. What’s most valuable? Is it timber management, recreation, aesthetics? And Mt. Arvon is just so special, it does warrant a different type of management. So no, I don’t think there is any pushback. If anything, folks are excited that it is going to be publicly accessible into perpetuity. Because, I’ll be honest, the real estate pressure’s there. We’ve had people call us looking to buy sections of land and some of those sections including Mt. Arvon. This just ensures this block is put together forever so people can continue to enjoy the views up there.

QK: People have wanted to buy places on the top of Mt. Arvon?

AM: You would be shocked, but yes. Again, the real estate pressure is definitely ramping up in the area. Sometimes you might hear Michigan being coined a climate refuge. People are realizing not only our property values are more affordable but we also kind of have less environmental issues. Knock on wood, we don’t have hurricanes, wildfires, things of that nature. So Michigan’s kind of a safe bet, if you will. And you take a look at the map, we’re surrounded by water. So yeah, it’s not uncommon to get phone calls from folks in cities from across the country who are looking to buy large swaths of land. And that can change things up here. It can be easy to take this for granted, but we have a lot of publicly accessible land. And our goal is to keep it that way.

Michigan’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development says the spread of hemlock woolly adelgid along Lake Michigan is increasing. Native to East Asia, hemlock woolly adelgid is an invasive insect that attacks Hemlock trees, feeding on their sap and killing them between 4 and 10 years of infestation.

According to the MDARD, it’s been detected in Allegan, Antrim, Benzie, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason, Muskegon, Oceana, Ottawa, Van Buren, and Washtenaw counties. 

Rob Miller is the Michigan’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s (MDARD) invasive species prevention and response specialist. Miller has played a crucial role in slowing the insect’s spread across the state. 

“Hemlock woolly adelgid really became a problem… between 2015 and 2017. It was [unintentionally] brought into the state on nursery stock that was infested with hemlock woolly adelgid [and] there are no native predators or diseases to keep [their] populations in check,” Miller says. 

While infestations have been found at the University of Michigan’s Nichols Arboretum, Miller is not overly concerned for Southeast Michigan. He says Southeast Michigan’s climate isn’t suited for hemlock trees, so the area doesn’t have a large population of them to worry about.

However, Miller is very concerned for the infestations detected in the west and northern regions of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, where there are hundreds of hemlock trees. 

Treatment for hemlock woolly adelgid 

Unfortunately, Miller says the infestation is too far along and too widespread for eradication to be an option for MDARD. One way the state  is supporting this effort is by funding local conservation districts that have Cooperative, Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA) programs. Miller says this partnership gives local conservation districts more resources to directly treat and prevent hemlock woolly adelgid infestations. 

For property owners, there are two different insecticides to treat hemlock woolly adelgid infestations: imidacloprid and dinotefuran. 

Miller differentiates these chemicals by the speed they move through trees; imidacloprid moves slowly and protects the tree for longer, and dinotefuran moves quicker and protects the tree for a couple of years. 

Both insecticides are neonioctinoids, which are harmful among pollinators. However, Miller explains that application techniques reduces the environmental risk of these chemicals.

“You’re applying [insecticide to protect hemlock trees] either directly to the trunk of the tree or you’re actually injecting it in the tree. You’re not spraying it all over the place…shooting it out of a high pressure hose [or] using a mist system,” he says.”

“So, when it’s applied to the tree properly, it’s very targeted and that chemical is then actually inside the tree, and we don’t have any runoff.” 

This story is part of WDET’s ongoing series, The Detroit Tree Canopy Project.

Health experts and urban planners have long believed that planting more trees in residential areas is good for everyone in those neighborhoods.

A new study shows that’s not necessarily so.

Researchers at Michigan State University found that while trees do reduce stress and extend longevity, the benefits vary based on other factors.

Professor Amber Pearson led the study. She and her team examined the relationship between residential tree canopies and allostatic load. That’s the cumulative wear-and-tear that stress has on the human body. Pearson says they confirmed that trees improve human health.

“What we found was that having higher percentage of residential trees was associated with lower allostatic load scores,” she says. “In other words, it’s good for your health.”

But Pearson found something surprising: It wasn’t good for everyone.

Researchers used federal health data on 40,000 people across the country. They also looked at satellite data from tree canopies in about 10 million U.S. census tracts.

Pearson says health benefits varied based on things like education, income, and employment.

“We found a relationship in those that were more socioeconomically advantaged, but not the more vulnerable or disadvantaged participants,” she says.

The study found that Hispanic and non-Hispanic white participants saw significant improvement, while non-Hispanic Black participants did not.

Pearson says social and economic stress may override nature’s health benefits. 

“Trees alone may not be enough to overcome those stressors in those populations,” she says. “We really need to do more to understand those stressors and that’s an area of future research.”

Pearson says the findings could challenge people’s assumptions about trees.

“Trees are not a panacea,” she says.

The study appears in the Lancet Regional Health – Americas.

This story is a part of WDET’s on-going series, The Detroit Tree Canopy Project. 

The U.S. Forest Service is shutting down all four of its research centers in Michigan as part of a nationwide reorganization, sparking concerns about the future health of forests in the Great Lakes.

According to environmental advocates, the closure could increase problems like invasive pests and diseases, as well as harm wildlife, outdoor recreation, and forest biomes. 

Emma Shedd is with the Sierra Club’s Michigan Chapter. She says the importance of these research centers cannot be ignored.

“It is a big deal….there are a lot of impacts that we can expect to see [like layoffs and loss of skilled research staff]…we can [also] expect to see a much weaker agency, and that trickles down to a lack of regional research to support our forests here [in Michigan].” 

Researchers with the U.S. Forest Service study forest health, monitor invasive species, and collect long-term data that help both federal and state agencies make decisions. Shedd says this includes a nationwide program which guides actions about logging, wildlife habitats, water quality, and outdoor activities.

Without these facilities, she says, a lot of that work could be reduced or lost. 

Shedd says, “Forest management is a long term game…we’ve got rotations of 60 to 80 to 100 years going on in our forest, and so having a lack of management now…has effects that span whole lifetimes.” 

She says Michigan residents who oppose the drastic cuts to the U.S. Forest Service should call their representatives. “This is something that we really need to push back on for… the health of our forests in the long term,” Shedd says.

This story is a part of WDET’s ongoing series, the Detroit Tree Canopy Project.

Last October, Ground Services at Wayne State University discovered an infestation of bark beetles on trees in Gullen Mall. 

Donna Reincke, Associate Director of Grounds for Wayne State University, explains how these tiny insects caused great harm. 

“They burrow into the tree trunks and leave these tiny little holes, maybe about the size of a pencil eraser. With that, the insect infestation introduced a fungus [blue stain fungus] into the tree, which stopped the tree from being able to take up water, and killed a couple of the trees.”

The fungus spread to surrounding trees and left them too damaged to save.

Reincke says sadly, they had to remove 11 pine trees in Gullen Mall, as dead trees pose a major safety risk.

“We do remove them to avoid any accidents from happening, and it’s just a safety issue with the risk of it falling, and dead branches falling down,” explains Reincke. 

Expanding campus tree canopy

With the help of many volunteers from The Greening of Detroit and Wayne State University’s Office of Sustainability, Reincke is happy to share that they replanted 30 trees in the same area. 

Reincke says, “even though the trees are smaller than the ones that were removed, we wanted to make sure we still did right by planting trees that could fill in the canopy, and it was a really fun, successful event.”

In addition to Gullen Mall, Reincke stated they planted 71 trees at Wayne State University’s athletic complex, on the corner of Warren Avenue and Trumbull Street. 

Over these two spaces, they planted Hackberry, Kentucky Coffee ‘Decaf’, Bald Cypress, ‘Autumn Splendor’ Buckeye, Allegheny Serviceberry, London Plane, Blackgum, Tulip Tree, Basswood, Accolade Cherry, and Swamp White Oak. 

Wayne State University’s Ground Services and Office of Sustainability are partnering up again to host a tree planting event for Arbor Day, April 24th, 2026.

For more details, visit Wayne State University’s Get Involved page.