Arbor Day – 2009, What Is It and Why Should We Celebrate it?

Arbor Day originated on April 10th, 1872 in Nebraska and was founded by Julius Sterling Morton (1832-1902). He was a journalist and politician, but his legacy is as the founding tree planter.

As a member of Nebraska’s state board of agriculture, he proposed that a special day be set aside dedicated to tree planting and increasing awareness of the importance of trees.  Nebraska’s first Arbor Day was an amazing success and more than one million trees were planted.  A second Arbor Day took place in 1884 and the young state made it an annual legal holiday in 1885, using April 22nd to coincide with Morton’s birthday.

In the years following that first Arbor Day, Morton’s idea spread beyond Nebraska with Kansas, Tennessee, Minnesota and Ohio all proclaiming their own Arbor Days.  Today all 50 states celebrate Arbor Day, though a lot of them are celebrated on different days.  (State Arbor Days at Arborday.org)

Why are tree’s central to our idea of rest, relaxation, solace, vitality, beauty, art, poetry and relaxation? What is it about being under a tree on a warm summer day, that bring memories come flooding back? What is it about trees that make us yearn for the trails with thoughts of our feet crunching through the cones, needles and leaves of these wonderful creatures?

In her poem “Think Like a Tree”, Karen Shragg writes,

Soak up the sun
Affirm life’s magic
Be graceful in the wind
Stand tall after a storm
Feel refreshed after it rains
Grow strong without notice
Be prepared for each season
Provide shelter to strangers
Hang tough through a cold spell
Emerge renewed at the first signs of spring
Stay deeply rooted while reaching for the sky
Be still long enough to
hear your own leaves rustling.

We’re going to be planting a tree this weekend. Would you like to make a difference in someones life today, tomorrow, and 50 years from now? Plant a tree. It’s an easy thing to do, and the planet will love you for it!

photo credit: LollyKnit,

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