Giant Sequoias Are Taking Root in an Unexpected Place: Detroit [View all]

Arborists are planting urban groves of the world’s largest trees in one of the city’s most blighted neighborhoods

Sarah Kuta - Daily Correspondent
May 5, 2025



Arborists are reforesting Detroit's Poletown East neighborhood with giant sequoias and other species of trees. AP Photo / Paul Sancya

Giant sequoias are typically found in California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range, where they reach heights of up to 300 feet. Now, however, with help from conservationists, the world’s largest trees are spreading to new places. In Detroit, arborists are planting dozens of giant sequoia saplings in a blighted area in hopes of creating an urban forest that will clean the air, provide shade and, overall, improve residents’ quality of life.

The trees are being planted in Detroit’s Poletown East neighborhood through a partnership between two nonprofits, Arboretum Detroit and Archangel Ancient Tree Archive.

The effort started in 2020 and 2021, with the planting of 20 giant sequoia trees on private property and vacant lots owned by Arboretum Detroit. It continued late last month, as volunteers convened on Earth Day to plant roughly 100 additional saplings.

“There’s not another urban area I know of that has the kind of potential that we do to reforest,” says Andrew “Birch” Kemp, co-director and board president of Arboretum Detroit, to the Associated Press’ Corey Williams. “We could all live in shady, fresh air beauty. It’s like no reason we can’t be the greenest city in the world.”

The Earth Day saplings are roughly a foot tall. But, if all goes as planned, they’ll rocket to roughly 15 feet tall—and counting—over the next decade. The trees can grow up to two feet each year.

More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/giant-sequoias-are-taking-root-in-an-unexpected-place-detroit-180986557/