This bur oak is the oldest tree in the Elmwood Arboretum.
Join Elmwood Cemetery and Arboretum and the Historic Elmwood Foundation for a celebration of Detroit trees on Arbor Day, Friday, April 26, 2024 at 1:30 p.m.
The public is invited to join Elmwood Cemetery staff and students from Martin Luther King Jr. High School for an educational walk through the Arboretum. Along the way, we’ll talk about notable tree specimens on the grounds and discuss the importance of trees for supporting wildlife and healthy communities and what climate change could mean for our tree canopy.
The walk will conclude with a celebratory planting of a tree selected by King High School students.
Elmwood Cemetery is Detroit’s first certified Arboretum. Its historic grounds are wooded with over 1,300 trees, representing close to 100 species, including several varieties of oaks, elms, walnuts, maples, cypresses, yews, locusts and a wide array of flowering trees. The cemetery was certified a Level I Arboretum by the Morton Arboretum and ArbNet in 2015.
"The age of Elmwood's tree population is part of what makes the Arboretum so special – many of our trees are over 100 years old," said Michael Shukwit, Director of Operations at Elmwood Cemetery. "That's also why reforestation efforts are paramount to the future of the Arboretum and the communities around the cemetery – especially as we experience more intense weather year-round as a result of global climate change."
"King High School is a proud member of the community and excited to embark on a special project with Elmwood Cemetery," said Jennifer Boyle, teacher at King High School. "This collaboration presents a unique opportunity for our students to engage with local history and heritage in a meaningful way."
Register here or call 313-567-3453 for more information.
About Elmwood Cemetery and the Historic Elmwood Foundation
Elmwood Cemetery, established in 1846, is one of Detroit and Michigan’s most significant sites of history, culture and landscape. Designed and maintained in the spirit of the rural cemetery movement, Elmwood sits on 86 acres of rolling hills, majestic trees and a historic waterway, all in the heart of the city, just two miles from downtown Detroit.
Elmwood remains an active cemetery and is operated as a nonprofit, with a mission to provide accessible, personal and compassionate burial services to the community. The cemetery’s mission and history is supported by the Historic Elmwood Foundation, established in 2005. The foundation works to preserve the history and educational significance of the cemetery and to develop social, cultural, and environmental public programs that benefit the community.
About Arbor Day
The first Arbor Day was celebrated in Nebraska on April 10, 1872. Since then, the holiday has spread to all 50 states and across the world. Known as the tree planter’s holiday, Arbor Day is a day for people to come together in recognition of the wonders of trees. Communities, schools, businesses, and individuals alike join together to plant commemorative trees, hand out free trees, provide education on tree planting and care, and celebrate all the benefits trees provide.
National Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday in April. Learn more at arborday.org.