Why Detroit’s tree canopy matters, and what families can do about it

A Q&A with Christina Ridella of The Greening of Detroit on the canopy gap, where to volunteer with kids, and the one thing she’d ask every parent to do outside this season.

Detroit’s tree canopy covers about 23.9% of the city, well below the 40–60% range the U.S. Forest Service considers healthy. The Greening of Detroit has spent 37 years working to close that gap, planting nearly 180,000 trees across Detroit, Highland Park, and Hamtramck and training more than 1,100 Detroiters for jobs in the green industry along the way.

We talked with Christina Ridella, the organization’s Senior Manager of Community Engagement & Volunteers, about Detroit’s urban forest, family volunteer days, and the one thing she’d ask every parent to do outside this summer.

This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

For a parent who’s never heard of The Greening of Detroit, how would you explain what you do?

The Greening of Detroit helps make Detroit greener, healthier, and more beautiful by planting trees and caring for parks and green spaces throughout the city. We work with residents, schools, and volunteers to teach people why trees matter, and we train and employ youth and adults for careers in environmental and green industry work. Over the past 37 years, we’ve planted nearly 180,000 trees across Detroit, Highland Park, and Hamtramck.

What’s something most people don’t realize about Detroit’s tree canopy?

According to the U.S. Forest Service, a healthy tree canopy is 40 to 60%. Detroit’s is currently around 24%. The Greening of Detroit and our partners are working every day to increase that number — a healthy city for all of our residents depends on it.

If you could get every parent to do one thing with their kids outside this season, what would it be?

Take a tree walk together. Whether it’s a walk around the block or a visit to a local green space — Rouge Park, Palmer Park, or Elmwood Cemetery all have majestic, forested areas — take a moment to appreciate the shade, the fresh air, the beauty trees give us in every season. Extra points if you talk about tree ID and why diversity matters in a healthy urban forest.

Are there family-friendly ways to get involved with the Greening this summer?

All of our public volunteer events are a great way to get involved, and we offer service hours for students. In the spring and fall, we hold community tree plantings every Thursday and Saturday morning. In the summer, we run Thursday morning public garden events at Lafayette Greens, our pollinator garden downtown — open to the public year-round and home to our Healthy Habits wellness series.

Our Environmental Education team also runs summer programming at recreation centers across the city. And in partnership with the City of Detroit and the Gilbert Family Foundation, we’ll be hosting Shade Salons — family-friendly events at local parks to highlight the importance of trees in our communities.

Where can families find your event calendar?

Everything is at greeningofdetroit.com/events.