Volunteers to plant trees in Detroit

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DETROIT, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Volunteers in Detroit are gearing up to plant 7,000 trees throughout the city this weekend, officials said.

Volunteers were to gather in the city's Warrendale neighborhood to plant trees as part of the "Greening of Detroit" project, WWJ-AM, Detroit, reported.

Dean Hay, director of green infrastructure at Greening of Detroit, said the project will result in "investment to a lot of the neighborhoods that had lost urban canopy through our emerald ash borer that recently came through and even is replacing the trees that 20 or 30 years ago were lost to the elm disease, as well, the Dutch elm disease."

"Beautification is the immediate benefit of it, but it also helps with air quality, helps to reduce crime rates, increase property value," he said. "And when trees are placed in the right place they can also provide shade and reduce the energy costs."

Hay said this weekend will be the first of several aimed at planting about 7,000 saplings throughout Detroit.