DETROIT (WXYZ) — “I like it a lot,” said Stephanie Stafford Spencer.
A two-year resident of the Comstock Park neighborhood, Stafford spends her days at the park toting around an 8-month-old and taking in what she calls a positive change.
WXYZ’s Glenda Lewis asked, “What do you think about this blight to beauty effort?
"I think it's good. More trees shade for activities in the park. It’ll be nice. It’ll take some of the sun away,” said Spencer.
Mayor Mike Duggan and Sen. Debbie Stabenow launched the effort with DTE Energy and other partners to plant 75,000 trees, create 300 jobs and secure $30 million in investment in Detroit neighborhoods.
"The colored dots are trees that are going in around here. Here we have additional trees going on in here,” said a Greening of Detroit employee.
The plan is set, and the trees have arrived giving life to Comstock Park, one of several sites around Detroit that is part of a new plan to improve the look, feel and health of the city.
“Seventy-five thousand trees over five years and train and even create hundreds of jobs for workers,” said Monica Tavares, Greening of Detroit vice president.
The Detroit tree equity plan was announced in the Barton MacFarlane neighborhood, where planting has already begun.
“Number one problem of climate change is heat. Entries are our number one defense against extreme heat. There is also a powerful defense against air pollution. This is about our children having the kind of environment to grow up in where they can be everything that they want and deserve to be,” said Jad Daley, president and CEO of American Forests.
If you want to plant a tree in your community or in your front yard, The Greening of Detroit is offering free trees on Friday. More information can be found online.
