Hantz Woodlands
Hantz Woodlands, In October 2013, plans for it were approved 5-4 by the Detroit city council, and for the purchase of a 140-acre area, and for the many abandoned homes in it to be razed, and to make way for a mile-square area urban tree farm project on the city's east side. The area would then be cleaned up and hardwood trees planted.[1] The tree farm project is being developed by Hantz Farms, a division of Hantz Group. It would be the largest urban tree farm in the U.S.[2]
Planting projects
On May 17, 2014, the first community tree planting event drew out over 1,000 volunteers to help plant 15,000 maple and oak saplings on 20 acres at Hantz Woodlands. [3]
October 15, 2014, 150 mature sugar maple trees, 20 feet high, were trucked to Detroit from Michigan and New York, and planted at Hantz farms, representing an investment of about $100,000. "I struggle to find the right words," says Keith Alexander, the Oxford-based tree broker who located 150 sugar maples in Michigan and New York that were straight enough and tall enough to meet Hantz's specifications. "I've planted street trees in Detroit, but never a woods, an actual urban forest. It's inspiring."[4]
On May 9, 2015, the second community tree planting volunteers planted 5,000, 4-6 foot tall tulip poplar trees. The holes will once again be pre-dug and prepared for planting. Volunteers will only have to put the tree in the hole and cover it with dirt. Participants are asked to bring shovels, as equipment is limited. [5] The plan is to grow the trees for about 10 years, over five acres, in tight rows, causing them to grow taller and straighter, and then "thin" them by transplanting some to other open lots. [6]
See also
References
- ↑ A 140-Acre Forest Is About to Materialize in the Middle of Detroit Sarah Goodyear October 25, 2013 Atlantic Cities
- ↑ Hantz Woodlands Gets State OK For Biggest U.S. Urban Farm Lauren Ann Davies October 18th, 2013 Deadline Detroit
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External links
- Hantz Woodlands -- Website
- Hantz Farms Detroit -- Website
- Opportunity sprouts from Detroit's urban farms—Detroit Business News, July 5, 2014
- Hantz Woodlands Fulfills Detroit Blight Removal Project, Adds 15K Trees -- (dbusiness) Detroit's Premier Business Journal, December 10, 2014
