Increasing Urban Forest Resilience to Emerald Ash Borer: A Case Study in Detroit, MI

Last updated: April 2026

With funding from the USDA Forest Service & National Association of State Foresters, State Urban Forest Resilience Grant Program, the FCCP developed a white paper highlighting important urban forest inequities and their relationship to post-Emerald Ash Borer outbreak trends and challenges. This case study discusses the biophysical and cultural benefits of urban tree canopies, linking its relationship to a changing climate, focused on Detroit, MI, in an effort to foster a great understanding of the role of urban forests in climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Aidan Ackerman from The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry led the development of a hyper-realistic urban forest visualization, showing the effect of pest-induced tree mortality on an urban forest canopy, and how filling gaps in the canopy impacts surroundings. This hyper-realistic urban landscape video provides a more nuanced understanding of the impacts of urban canopy loss as well as the benefits of restoration for well-being and climate through highlighting the Roots of Rock program and the Tree Equity Score tool, both developed by American Forests.

This project also provided five scholarships for Detroit urban practitioners to enroll in the FCCP Urban Forests and Climate Change professional development course to support the readiness, response, and restoration planning for Detroit’s urban canopy to support green jobs, long-term urban forest health and other climate mitigation and adaptation goals.