Last year, the DTE Energy Foundation once again partnered with ReLeaf Michigan, a statewide volunteer tree planting and education nonprofit organization that was started in 1988. ReLeaf’s mission is to educate the public on the value of trees and how to properly select, plant and maintain them.
Here’s a look at the DTE Foundation and ReLeaf’s impact in 2023:
- Planted 321 trees
- Planted more than 41 tree species
- A total of 520 volunteers participated, including many DTE volunteers
- 14 communities across the state received trees, increasing their tree canopy coverage
As a result, roughly 320,979 pounds of carbon will be stored and 1,872,021 gallons of rainfall will be intercepted over the next 25 years.
The counties that received trees and volunteer planting support include:
- Kent
- Leelanau
- Livingston
- Macomb
- Muskegon
- Oakland
- Ostego
- Presque Isle
- Clair County
- Wayne
- Washtenaw
- Wexford
New in 2023, as part of the DTE Foundation’s grant to ReLeaf, the nonprofit installed metal tags with QR codes on a variety of trees planted across Michigan. The codes can be scanned with a cellphone and provide individual data about that particular tree. Over time, the tags will grow with the tree in a non-invasive way, so community members can enjoy them for years.
So far in 2024, plantings have taken place in:
- Sylvan Lake
- Sparta
- Washtenaw County
- Washtenaw Township