City awarded Consumer's Energy Grant to Plant Trees

Over the past 10 years City of Frankenmuth has had to deal with the Ash borer catastrophe like many other Michigan communities.  The City works to remove the diseased Ash Trees and replace them with different species of trees. The City has been able to leverage a  Consumers Energy grant program to help offset some of purchase costs for these new trees. The City of Frankenmuth received $3,000.00 for the 2022 season.

In addition to the costs of the trees themselves, the City assumes the cost of planting, which can be a lengthy process.  The Department of Public Works employees first remove all the dead trees (around 30). Then they hire a local company to grind the stump six inches below the surface. The new selected species of trees are shipped from Kluck’s Nursery located in Shields, MI. Frankenmuth DPW employees then plant the new trees near the old location. The trees are then mulched and watered with the city’s water truck. Fertilizer is applied once throughout the growing season. Frankenmuth DPW then continues to monitor the health of the trees and access water demands for the next couple of years.

Frankenmuth is proud to be a designated “Tree City” for more than 30 years. In addition to the beautiful  landscaping the trees provide throughout downtown and the City’s 120 acres of park land, trees provide other benefits. Trees help with storm water runoff as the town is dominantly clay. These trees also give the city some shade for its neighborhoods.

With the Consumers Energy Tree Grant this year and past years, the City of Frankenmuth has worked to manage and lessen the impact of the Emerald Ash Borer through tree removals and planting of additional trees.