Always held on the last Friday in April, National Arbor Day is an annual observance that celebrates the important role that trees play in our lives. It also promotes tree planting, tree care, and overall love for our environment. The idea for Arbor Day in the United States came from a Nebraska City pioneer named Julius Sterling Morton. Julius and his wife, Caroline, had moved to the newly formed, treeless Nebraska Territory from Detroit, and they missed their beautiful shade trees. Who wouldn’t? They soon set about planting trees, shrubs and flowers around their own home and encouraged others to do the same.
After becoming editor of Nebraska’s first newspaper, Julius used that forum to speak widely about environmental stewardship and it’s relation to living a momentous life. He encouraged everyone to set aside a specific day to plant trees. A statewide tree planting day was subsequently declared on April 10, 1872 by Nebraska’s governor. More than one million trees were planted in Nebraska on that first Arbor Day. Sterling Morton later served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture under President Grover Cleveland from 1893 to 1897.
Today, all 50 states, as well as many countries around the world, recognize Arbor Day in some manner. This year, National Arbor Day in the United States will be celebrated on April 26, 2019. How will you celebrate?
The Arbor Day Foundation inspires tree planting
To help emphasize the importance of trees and tree planting, the Arbor Day Foundation was founded in 1972 on the centennial of the first Arbor Day observance. The mission of the Arbor Day Foundation is to “inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees.” In recent years, the foundation has launched the Time for Trees initiative with the goal of, by 2022 — the 150th anniversary of Arbor Day — to plant 100 million trees in forests and communities around the globe and Inspire 5 million tree planters to help carry the mission forward.
The foundation is leading this initiative because: “Humankind is facing a crisis: our ability to survive and thrive is at risk. Air and water pollution is rampant. Weather patterns are shifting at an alarming rate. Poverty is widespread. The entire globe is battling poor health for a number of reasons. And society as a whole is becoming more and more fractured. We must do something before it’s too late. The Arbor Day Foundation is committed to addressing these problems … through trees. Trees are an important part of the solution to many critical issues facing the planet and humankind.”
How you can get involved
The Arbor Day Foundation has ideas for anyone to get involved in tree planting and tree care, including organizing a tree planting project and dozens of other ways to volunteer. Or, Get 10 Free Trees of your choice with your Arbor Day Foundation membership of $10.00. You simply cannot beat that!
At North Coast Organic, we love trees of every type, but particularly the apple tree. On Arbor Day and every day, we celebrate all they have given us, including their beloved, wholesome fruit as well as their natural beauty. If you want to make it really fun, plant some apple seeds of any variety at home and see what kind of tree you end up with. It won’t be the same as the one you planted!
North Coast Organic apple products are made in Sebastopol, CA from U.S. grown certified organic apples. They contain no added sugars, preservatives, colorings or flavorings.
