The Roots of Arbor Day
by Julia Davis
What is Arbor Day?
Arbor Day celebrates the planting, nurturing, and preservation of trees around the world. For many decades now, arbor day has raised awareness about tree and forest conservation. Trees can help the Earth in various ways by producing oxygen or being a breeding ground for new life. North Carolina where We Plant itForward holds its Arbor Day Festival, Arbor day in North Carolina is designated as the first Friday following March 15. Every year in the United States, Arbor Day is celebrated on the very last Friday of April.
How and why is it celebrated?
Communities and individuals will gather to plant trees and learn everything trees do for us. Many people will even dedicate the planted trees to loved ones. Arbor Day has led to the planting of millions of trees which all have direct impacts on the areas around them.
Image from: Benefits of a Tree, Image from https://www.nashvilletreefoundation.org/benefits-of-trees
Trees benefit the communities by drawing in Carbon from the air and releasing oxygen, which helps prevent climate change and produce clean air. Trees can also improve our own mental and physical health by encouraging us to exercise and adventure outdoors. Many wildlife species also find shelter and safety among the trees.
When and where Arbor Day began
Arbor Day began in the 1870s in Nebraska City and was created by a man named Julis Sterling Morton. Morton purchased 160 acres of land with his wife and planted an abundance of trees and shrubs. Shortly after moving to Nebraska City, he became the editor of Nebraska’s very first newspaper, Nebraska City News. Morton had a passion for spreading his knowledge about trees and came up with the idea that Nebraska should have a day when community members are encouraged to plant trees.
Image from: https://medcombenefits.com/blog/post/arbor-day-2021
The idea became very popular and the first-ever Arbor Day was held on April 10, 1872. The holiday was a large success and over 1 million trees were planted. After the first Arbor Day, news of the holiday spread, and schools in states all over the U.S. began celebrating each year. Just over ten years later, in 1883, the holiday was introduced overseas in Japan. This led Arbor Day to being celebrated in many countries around the world.
In 1970, Arbor Day became recognized as a national holiday by President Richard Nixon. Since then, the holiday has only grown in its number of participants. This year, be a part of the change and come join We Plant it Forward for the Arbor Day Festival on March 25th!