DETROIT (AP) - Volunteers planted hope Saturday in Detroit - one tree at a time - as an entrepreneur began turning a tumble-down neighborhood into an urban forest.
It’s hard to imagine the vacant parcels someday becoming leafy blocks on the city’s east side, especially when the twig-like saplings are just a few feet tall. But hundreds of people turned out to plant 15,000 trees on land bordered by burned-out homes and abandoned apartments.
John Hantz figures trees are better than blighted neighborhoods. His Woodlands project calls for eventually cleaning up 140 acres and knocking down 50 vacant homes in a city that has thousands. He believes agriculture and forestry can play an important role in Detroit, which hopes to emerge from bankruptcy this year.
“I’m not a person who likes to get her hands dirty,” said Detroit resident Sharon Brady, 52, “but this is cool.”
Caitlin Surdock, 23, drove from South Lyon in Oakland County. Wearing rubber gloves, she planted a hardwood, dressed it with mulch and moved a few feet to the next hole to do it again.
“It’s beautification of a city that needs more love,” Surdock said.
After days of rain, the cool and sunny conditions were good for planting. Hantz, the founder of Hantz Group, which offers financial services, loaded the grill with hot dogs as his tree army worked around him.
“It’s spectacular,” Hantz said of the turnout. “It means a lot. This is a private venture. It shows if you have an idea and actually do it, you’ll get all kinds of help. In this city, you have to jump in the game.”
Raven Martin, 25, of Macomb Township said an urban forest can improve air quality. The Detroit native acknowledged that some people are skeptical about Hantz’s plan, but she’s not among them.
“We have a lot of space that isn’t being used,” Martin said. “We’re actually doing something positive. I can’t be opposed.”
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