As part of Madison Heights’ new focus on increasing green spaces and trees in the city, officials are hosting a tree planting event Friday to celebrate Arbor Day and the city’s induction into the Tree City USA program.
State Rep. Jim Ellison, Mayor Roslyn Grafstein and Councilwoman Emily Rohrbach will each speak at the event at 1 p.m. Friday at Sunset Park.
COVID-19 protocols and social distancing will be required at the event, which is open to the public.
Besides planting a tree at the Arbor Day event, city workers are set to plant at least 75 trees in the neighborhood near the park.
Those trees will replace others lost in the past year to road construction, wood-boring and other insects, and disease.
City officials said the new tree plantings are part of a larger effort in Madison Heights to plant more native plants and trees in neighborhoods and public spaces.
The ongoing tree plantings will continue annually so that Madison Heights can increase the tree canopy throughout the city.
Mayor Grafstein launched the city’s Environmental Citizens Committee and is leading the new effort to grow and maintain green spaces and the number of trees citywide. Other residents on the ECC, including master gardener Crystal Fox and Councilwoman Emily Rohrbachl, have been behind a renewed sense of environmental awareness and stewardship in the city.
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