120 cherry trees planted on Belle Isle today, a successful first phase of replanting
Michigan Department of Natural Resources sent this bulletin at 11/14/2014 02:16 PM EST|
Scott Memorial Fountain basin beautified with flowering cherry trees. |
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Belle Isle
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 14, 2014
Contact: Kevin Sayers, 517-284-5898 or Ed Golder, 517-284-5815
120 cherry trees planted on Belle Isle today, marking successful
first phase of replanting project
More than 150 volunteers brought their energy and green thumbs to Belle Isle today to replant 120 flowering cherry trees around the Scott Memorial Fountain basin. Overseen by the Department of Natural Resources, the project was organized by The Greening of Detroit, a nonprofit organization established to guide and inspire the reforestation of the city.
“We are very excited to contribute to the ongoing beautification of Belle Isle park with the cherry tree planting,” said Rebecca Salminen Witt, president of The Greening of Detroit. “This park is one of Detroit’s most treasured green spaces. We have planted hundreds of trees there since we were founded 25 years ago in recognition of the important role it plays in enhancing the quality of life in our city.”
In 1994, Toyota – Detroit’s sister city from Japan – donated flowering cherry trees to the city. Many of these trees were planted on Belle Isle near Sunset Point and around the Scott Memorial Fountain basin. Due to disease and damage from insects, many of these trees have since died or had to be removed because of poor condition.
“The tree replantings of a disease-resistant species will serve to further beautify Belle Isle by filling these gaps,” said Kevin Sayers, coordinator of the DNR’s Urban Forestry program. “Today’s planting was the first phase in a multiphase project to replant trees in maintained areas of the park, including Riverbank Drive near the beach and other high-use areas.”
Sayers noted that funding mechanisms are being explored for the multiphase plan, which may be implemented over several years. The next phase will begin this spring.
Today’s tree replanting project was funded as part of a $150,000 U.S. Forest Service grant. This grant is also funding hazard-tree removal and creation of a tree inventory and management plan for the park.
“The U.S. Forest Service is proud to be part of the canopy restoration efforts on Belle Isle,” said Jill Johnson, Midwest urban forestry coordinator from the U.S. Forest Serve. “We believe the urban forest improvements will significantly benefit the residents of Detroit and all who visit the treasured park for years to come.”
Since December 2013, the DNR has worked to rid the island of hazard trees in heavily used areas that posed a risk to public safety. DNR Forest Resources Division staff trained in hazard-tree assessment first inspected the trees, using a process followed by the U.S. Forest Service and by the DNR in other Michigan state parks and campgrounds. The majority of trees marked and felled showed obvious signs of hazard conditions. Tree-felling operations were performed by DNR forest fire officers and DNR parks and recreation staff specially trained in hazard-tree removal. More than 200 hazard trees were felled, with additional trees lost during summer and early fall storms.
“Today was a great start to replanting some of the trees lost on the island to storms, disease and human activity and those just coming to the end of their natural life cycle,” Sayers said. “We had a successful volunteer turnout and fantastic cooperation between multiple agencies, and I look forward to continuing this momentum into the spring.”
Learn more about the DNR’s Urban and Community Forestry programs at www.michigan.gov/ucf.
Additional information about Belle Isle Park – Michigan's 102nd state park – is available at www.belleislepark.org.
Follow us on Twitter @MichiganDNR and @BelleIsle_Park. We encourage Belle Isle partners and others interested in the park's revitalization to use the hashtag #AllinforBelleIsle.
/NOTE TO EDITORS: Four accompanying photos are available below for download. Photos #2 and #3 are group shots showing the volunteers working together to plant 120 flowering cherry trees around the Scott Memorial Fountain basin, a project organized by The Greening of Detroit and overseen by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Suggested captions for photos #1 and #4 follow.
Belle Isle Cherry Trees 1.jpg -- Kay Clark (left) and Shalitha Bennett were among the more than 150 volunteers who joined the Nov. 14 effort to replant flowering cherry trees along the Scott Memorial Fountain basin on Belle Isle in Detroit.
Belle Isle Cherry Trees 4.jpg -- Kevin Sayers (left), coordinator of the Michigan DNR's Urban Forestry program, works with volunteers to set a new flowering cherry tree, one of 120 trees replanted around the basin of Belle Isle's Scott Memorial Fountain in Detroit./