The roots of Arbor Day

More than one hundred years ago a young man named J. Sterling Morton followed the movement of pioneers westward. He and his wife, Caroline, settled in Nebraska City, Nebraska, an area of the country that had very few trees. The Mortons loved trees. They planted many trees on the grounds of their home and encouraged everyone they knew to do the same.

As a journalist and editor of Nebraska’s first newspaper, J. Sterling Morton spread his message about the importance of tree planting. Morton encouraged settlers to plant trees for wood to build and heat their homes. He also wrote about the benefits of planting trees for food, shade, beauty, and protection from the wind.

In 1872, at a meeting of the State Board of Agriculture, J. Sterling Morton first proposed a tree planting holiday to be called “Arbor Day.” The support for this new holiday was so great that more than one million trees were planted in Nebraska on the first Arbor Day. Soon, other states passed legislation to observe Arbor Day, and today Arbor Day is celebrated in every state in the nation and in many other countries around the world.

For more than 100 years, school children have joined in Arbor Day celebrations by planting and caring for trees that beautify and benefit their communities. J. Sterling Morton was proud of the success of Arbor Day and noted, “Other holidays repose upon the past; Arbor Day proposes for the future.”

Today, Arbor Day celebrations are held in communities all over America, with the date determined by the best tree planting time in each area. Arbor Day is celebrated the last Friday in April.

– Information provided by The Arbor Day Foundation

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