Andrew Kemp did not wait for permission. The Arboretum Detroit co-founder, who goes by Birch, spent years planting trees on vacant Poletown East lots before the nonprofit existed. Since 2019, that effort has grown into more than 1,800 trees across 55 formerly vacant parcels, creating a growing network of green spaces throughout the neighborhood.
Arboretum Detroit at a Glance
| Where | Poletown East, between East Grand Boulevard and Warren Avenue |
| Trees planted | More than 1,800 since 2019 |
| Land | 55 formerly vacant parcels, about 5 acres |
| Anchor | Circle Forest, with Sequoia Forest and the LandBack Project growing the map |
The Strategy Is Buying the Ground
Arboretum Detroit’s approach goes beyond planting trees. The organization also works to secure the land where those trees are growing.
Arboretum Detroit acquires parcels through the Detroit Land Bank Authority and private donations. By controlling the land, the organization can continue caring for the trees and developing the properties as long-term green spaces rather than leaving their future dependent on what happens to a vacant parcel next.
Why Poletown East
The history of Poletown East helps explain why green space matters here. Entire blocks were cleared decades ago for the nearby GM assembly plant, and then came the Detroit waste incinerator, which burned the city’s trash until organizing by residents and environmental advocates helped close it in 2019.
Scrapyards, trucking facilities, and hazardous waste operations still operate nearby, and the neighborhood continues to contend with the environmental legacy of decades of industrial activity.
Rather than trying to undo generations of contamination in the soil, the arboretum works above it. Trees can provide shade, cool surrounding streets, support habitat and help capture airborne particulate pollution.
What You Can Find at Arboretum Detroit
Arboretum Detroit is not one traditional park with a single entrance. It is made up of multiple green spaces spread across the neighborhood.
Circle Forest serves as one of the project’s central landscapes, while Sequoia Forest and the LandBack Project add additional pieces to the network.
The landscape also includes footpaths, native plants, fruiting shrubs and trees at different stages of growth. Community gardens, urban farms, neighborhood organizations and other community spaces have also become part of the area surrounding the arboretum.
What was once a collection of vacant parcels is gradually becoming a landscape where residents can walk, spend time outdoors and experience a different side of the neighborhood.
What Grew Around the Trees
The forests pulled in more than birds. Community gardens, urban farms, neighborhood organizations, and a Buddhist temple have all become part of the landscape, and serviceberries now ripen each summer along paths that used to run past empty lots.
The result is a mix of natural areas and community spaces that continues to change as more trees grow and additional parcels are incorporated into the project.
How to Visit Arboretum Detroit
Arboretum Detroit’s green spaces are located throughout Poletown East between East Grand Boulevard and Warren Avenue.
The project spans multiple parcels rather than one traditional park, so there is no single main entrance or one loop trail to follow.
Visitors exploring the area can expect a neighborhood-scale experience, with different forests, paths and green spaces spread throughout Poletown East.
The Bigger Idea About Vacant Land
Detroit still holds roughly 18 square miles of vacant land, and the thinking about it is shifting. Organizations like Detroit Future City have long argued that not every empty parcel should be seen as a future building, and the city’s own planning increasingly treats some land as better suited to forests, prairies, and green infrastructure that manage stormwater and cool neighborhoods.
Arboretum Detroit offers one example of what that approach can look like on a neighborhood scale.
Instead of viewing vacant land only as space waiting for redevelopment, projects like this raise the possibility that some properties can serve a lasting purpose as green infrastructure, habitat and community space.
Kemp’s ambition runs bigger than five acres. He imagines tree-lined corridors connecting neighborhoods to the Joe Louis Greenway, and he argues few urban areas have Detroit’s potential to reforest.
Explore Arboretum Detroit
For anyone who has driven through Poletown East and seen vacant lots without realizing what is happening on them, Arboretum Detroit offers a different way to experience the neighborhood.
The project has transformed dozens of formerly vacant parcels into a growing network of forests and green spaces, with trees, footpaths, native plants and community spaces developing across the area.
The arboretum can be explored throughout the neighborhood, giving visitors a chance to experience the forests and surrounding community spaces at their own pace.
For more green space around the city, see our Things to Do coverage.
Arboretum Detroit FAQ
Where is Arboretum Detroit?
Poletown East, between East Grand Boulevard and Warren Avenue. The project spans multiple parcels rather than one traditional park property.
How many trees has Arboretum Detroit planted?
More than 1,800 trees since 2019.
How much land does Arboretum Detroit cover?
About five acres across 55 formerly vacant parcels.
Can I visit Arboretum Detroit?
Yes. The green spaces are public. Because the project spans multiple parcels, visitors should expect a neighborhood-scale experience rather than a traditional park with one main entrance.
What are Circle Forest, Sequoia Forest and the LandBack Project?
They are individual green spaces that are part of the larger Arboretum Detroit landscape in Poletown East.
Who runs Arboretum Detroit?
Arboretum Detroit was co-founded by Andrew “Birch” Kemp.
1 thought on “One Man Started Planting Trees in Poletown East. Now There Are 1,800.”
Awesome! Detroit can grow in more ways than one, and trees bring oxygen, shade and wildlife back to the city.