Thirteen years ago, a local businessman and an agriculture expert joined forces to change a chunk of Detroit’s east side.  They started an experiment, planting thousands of trees in empty lots, in an effort to force out blight.  That experiment is called Hantz Woodlands.

You’ll see some of the results if you drive up McClellan or Belvidere, just north of Kercheval.  Mike Score is the President of Hantz Farms, the company that owns and manages the woodlands.  He spoke with WDET’s Jerome Vaughn. 

Score says the company has surpassed the goals it originally set in a deal with the city.

“We said we tear down at least 50 dangerous structures and we torn down 70.  We said we’d plant at least 15,000 trees and we’ve planted over 40,000.  And we said we’d mow every three weeks, and we’re mowing on a two-week cycle right now.”

Score says three trees have helped transform neighborhoods.  There was initial skepticism, and even organized opposition in the early days of the project.  But Score says those obstacles have faded away once residents in the area saw the effects of the project.

“Our neighbors in the beginning thought that our trees were a mystery.  They said, ‘we don’t want trees, we want neighbors.’  But as they’ve seen the trees grow and the neighborhood become cleaner, safer, more beautiful, we’ve actually had neighbors ask us to keep trees near their homes because they think they’re beautiful and really add to the quality of life.”

Hantz Woodlands lots are located in an area of Detroit south of Mack and east of Van Dyke.

This story is a part of WDET’s ongoing series, the Detroit Tree Canopy Project.