DETROIT (WXYZ) — If you’ve ever looked into tree removal, you know how expensive it can be, often costing thousands of dollars for a single tree.
But now the city of Detroit is dedicating millions of dollars to helping residents remove dead, dangerous, and diseased trees, free of charge.
Today I had the chance to speak with residents and city leaders about the program.
We’ve all seen trees diseased, dying, ominous looking. They can be really dangerous, especially during storms like we saw this past winter. Well now, the city of Detroit is doing something about them.
“Right here, this is what they pulled down,” said Detroit resident Mary Bulger.
Bulger lives in northwest Detroit and showed me where a big tree came down in her yard three years ago. She says it ripped the home’s electrical box out.
“It pulled that completely off - all the way over to there,” she explains.
“Just all through the winter, you never know what’s going to happen, what’s going to fall,” she added.
Now, she’s going to be one of the first Detroiters to benefit from the city’s Dead, Dangerous and Diseased Tree program.
WXYZ’s Mike Duffy asked, “What do you think about the fact that the city is going to have a program for this?”
“I am elated. I am so happy, you just don’t know,” said Bulger.
Council President Pro Tem James Tate explained why the time is now for tree removal.
“When we look at these trees, thousands of dollars just to trim it, folks need some help. They need some assistance. And here we are in the city of Detroit providing $9 million towards this program,” said Tate.
The official figure for the pilot program is $8.3 million.
“What’s making this funding possible?” asked Duffy.
So, we’re using ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) dollars. We’re also using general fund dollars. We’re finding every bit of funding we can within the city of Detroit,” said Tate.
The woman spearheading the project is Kimberly Jones. Fun fact, she used to be a lumberjack, so she knows the task ahead.
“This is the first time the city of Detroit has ever done trees on private property,” said Jones, Project Manager General Services Department.
She told me they normally only deal with trees between the street and sidewalk and land bank properties.
“I’ve had seniors call and say, ‘Hey, you know my grandkids can’t even go outside and play because we’ve had these limbs falling. I don’t want my fellow Detroiters living like that,” said Jones.
"So, what kinds of things should property owners be looking at when it comes to dying or dangerous trees?” asked Duffy.
“Do they see holes in the bottom of the tree? Does it have a kind of like pulpy or mulchy? That means it’s a possibility that it may fall,” said Jones.
So, who gets priority?
“Seniors, disabled, if you’re part of the HOPE (Homeowners Property Tax Exemption) program,” said Jones.
Those are just a few of the categories that get someone to the top of the list but there are others. If you think you might qualify for the program, you can call 313-224-4444 or go to Detroit Department of Neighborhoods.
