Arbor Day

The History of Arbor Day
The idea for Arbor Day originally came from Nebraska. A visit to Nebraska today wouldn't disclose that the state was once a treeless plain. Yet it was the lack of trees there that led to the founding of Arbor Day in the 1800s.

Among pioneers moving into the Nebraska Territory in 1854 was J. Sterling Morton from Detroit. He and his wife were lovers of nature, and the home they established in Nebraska was quickly planted with trees, shrubs and flowers.

Morton was a journalist and soon became editor of Nebraska's first newspaper. Given that forum, he spread agricultural information and his enthusiasm for trees to an equally enthusiastic audience.

His fellow pioneers missed their trees. But, more importantly, trees were needed as windbreaks to keep soil in place, for fuel and building materials, and for shade from the hot sun.

Morton not only advocated tree planting by individuals in his articles and editorials, but he also encouraged civic organizations and groups to join in. His prominence in the area increased, and he became secretary of the Nebraska Territory, which provided another opportunity to stress the value of trees.

Arbor Day's Beginnings
On January 4, 1872, Morton first proposed a tree-planting holiday to be called “Arbor Day” at a meeting of the State Board of Agriculture. The date was set for April 10, 1872. Prizes were offered to counties and individuals for planting properly the largest number of trees on that day. It was estimated that more than one million trees were planted in Nebraska on the first Arbor Day.

Arbor Day was officially proclaimed by the young state's Gov. Robert W. Furnas on March 12, 1874, and the day itself was observed April 10, 1874. In 1885, Arbor Day was named a legal holiday in Nebraska and April 22, Morton's birthday, was selected as the date for its permanent observance.

According to accounts from the Nebraska City News, April 1885, the City celebrated Arbor Day with a grand parade and a speech by J. Sterling Morton. Students of different grades met at their respective school rooms in the morning for the purpose of planting at least one tree. Each tree that was planted was labeled with the grade, the time planted, and was to be specially cared for by that grade.

When the plantings were completed, 1000 students formed a line to begin the parade from the various schools to Nebraska City's opera house. In the parade, each class carried colorful banners made of satin with silk lining and trimmed with gold fringe. The letters on the banners were painted in oil colors. By the time the parade reached the opera house the throng numbered well over the 1000 as townspeople joined the march. Every available foot of space in the opera house was occupied, the students having the front seats and gallery while the older persons stood. At 11:00, the throng of celebrants was addressed by the founder of Arbor Day, J. Sterling Morton.

Mr. Morton was listened to with much attention, and loudly applauded at the close of his address. At the conclusion of the ceremonies, the students sang "America," and the large audience was dismissed.

This ended the first celebration of Arbor Day as a legal holiday, and, as reported by the newspaper, “... to say that it was a complete success but faintly expresses it. A celebration of this kind results in good to all, and is worthy of imitation by every school in the state.”

During the 1870s, other states passed legislation to observe Arbor Day, and the tradition began in schools nationwide in 1882.

Today the most common date for the state observances is the last Friday in April, and several U.S. presidents have proclaimed a national Arbor Day on that date. But a number of state Arbor Days are at other times to coincide with the best tree planting weather, from January and February in the south to May in the far north.

Arbor Day has now spread beyond the United States and is observed in many countries of the world.

How to Celebrate Arbor Day
It has been over 130 years since J. Sterling Morton founded Arbor Day. His simple idea of setting aside a special day for tree planting is now more important than ever... so read on to discover ways to lend a special festive flavor to your next Arbor Day celebration. You can also proclaim Arbor Day in your city.

Good Ideas for a Great Arbor Day Celebration:
Raise the flag, strike up the band, make Arbor Day fun. Make it memorable. Organize a fun run. Make it a real event. See if a local business will donate prizes. Have a poster contest, or a poetry contest. Get the local PTA to sponsor a children's pageant or play. Check out the Arbor Day Play, where the statue of J. Sterling Morton comes to life to tell the children how he "authored" this special holiday. Organize and train volunteers to help you carry out Arbor Day ceremonies in your schools.

Get people excited. Show them things they've never seen before. Tell them things about trees they've never heard.

Fill the air with music. Have an Arbor Day concert of songs about trees, or with tree names in their titles.

Get people into action. Ask a civic or service group to promote a paper drive to gather paper to be recycled and save a tree. Use the proceeds to buy a special tree to plant in a park or other special public place. Ask a local radio station to sponsor a tree trivia contest and give away trees to winners. Conduct a tree search. Ask people to find large, unusual or historic trees in your community. Tell people to take a hike--a tree identification hike--and have girl scouts or boy scouts act as guides.

Dedicate a forest, or a tree, or a flower bed in a park, and make it an occasion to talk about stewardship. Get a local nursery or garden center to hold an open house or field day. Organize an Arbor Day Fair.

Get people together. Encourage neighborhood organizations to hold block parties and get their members to adopt and care for street trees in front of their homes. Pass out buttons. Give away trees.

Celebrate Arbor Day in a personal way by planting a tree yourself. It is an act of optimism and kindness, a labor of love and a commitment to stewardship.

Anyone can do it. Start a tree seed in a cup, or a seedling in a pot. If you have no place to set it out later, give it to someone who does, and then watch it grow together. Find a place to plant a seedling or a sapling or the largest tree you can handle alone.

Schedule of Event in Denver for Arbor Day

Recycling Denver

What kind of world will we leave to the next generation? One that offers a bounty of opportunity via healthy people and communities, or one that is disadvantaged because of polluted and scarce natural resources? The results of the actions we take today build the foundation for future generations. What will your impact be?

Leave Your Green Print on the City
There are a number of ways you can get involved and bring the Greenprint concepts into your own home or business.

Learn more about how you can lower your energy bills, get rebates for your energy-efficient purchases, and have a positive impact on the health of our local environment.
 

• Form a Denver Green Team in your neighborhood, building, church, book club, school or office. Share ideas and work together to reduce emissions, save energy, reduce waste, conserve water, and minimize chemicals.

• Use a carbon calculator to discover ways you can prevent carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere, and find out how much money you can save.

• Take the Energy Star® Change a Light Pledge and replace at least one regular light bulb in your home or office with a compact fluorescent bulb.

• If you aren't already a Denver Recycles customer, sign up online for free residential recycling service.

• Learn more about the green future and environmentally friendly practices by exploring a variety of books and magazines at the Denver Public Library

• Find a Built Green® home, LEED®-certified builder, Energy Star® builder, or a green building contractor.

• Plant a tree!