Arbor Day celebrates 139 years
This Friday is National Arbor day, celebrated annually throughout the nation and the world on the last Friday in April.
The first Arbor Day was held in Nebraska City, Neb., in 1872, through the efforts of J. Sterling Morton, who proposed to the Nebraska Board of Agriculture that a special day be set aside for planting trees.
The date was set for April 10, 1872 and prizes were awarded to individuals and counties planting the largest number of trees in one day. It is estimated that more than one million trees were planted in Nebraska during the first Arbor Day.
The Arbor Day Foundation began in 1972 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first Arbor Day and is one of the world’s largest nonprofit conservation organizations dedicated to planting trees. The Foundation plants and distributes more than 10 million trees each year.
The Foundation is a nonprofit conservation and education organization of nearly one million members, with a mission to inspire people to plant, celebrate and nurture trees.
Their mission statement is to care for the earth and engage in good work of deep and lasting value.
The Foundation has worked with the U.S. Forest Service to plant trees in America’s national forests and the National Association of State Foresters to plant trees in state forests. Through donations from members and partners, the Foundation has helped the Forest Service plant more than 20 million forestland trees since 1990. The Foundation’s first National Forest tree-planting project was in 1990 in the wake of the Great Yellowstone Fire.
Also, through their Tree City USA program, more than 3,300 communities are honored each year for their commitments to planting and nurturing trees.
The Foundation’s comprehensive Nature Explore Program provides resources for childcare centers, elementary schools, preschools and parks to connect children with nature.
Planting trees can reduce the erosion of our precious topsoil by wind and water, cut heating and cooling costs, moderate the temperature, clean the air, produce life-giving oxygen and provide habitat for wildlife.
Trees are also a renewable resource giving us paper, wood for building homes, fuel for fires and countless other wood products, while increasing property values, enhancing the economic vitality of business areas and beautifying communities for future generations.
Trees are a gift for the ages. A thoughtful and appreciated gift today, they go on to make a contribution for generations to come.
Through the Arbor Day Foundation’s Gift Tree program, you can give trees to your family, friends, customers, guests, or employees. You can even customize your label with your own message, graphic, or photo. Trees may also be used for corporate promotions, baby gifts, wedding favors, fundraisers, loyalty program rewards, new accounts, employee appreciation, grand openings, customer appreciation, Earth Day celebrations.
So this weekend, find the time to plant a tree, if not for yourself, as a long-lasting meaningful gift for a friend.
To order a tree or find out more information on how you can celebrate Arbor Day in your community visit http://www.arborday.org.
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