ARBOR DAY

'Arbor Day' is a holiday in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant and care for trees. Arbor Day originated in Nebraska City, Nebraska, United States but is also celebrated by several other countries. In Commonwealth countries it is sometimes spelled Arbour Day, through a false etymology. In Japan, a similarly-themed Greenery Day is celebrated.

History

Arbor Day was established by J. Sterling Morton of Nebraska City, Nebraska in 1872.
J. Sterling Morton and his wife moved from Detroit, Michigan to the Nebraska Territory in 1854 , where he was the editor of Nebraska's first newspaper. His influence as a journalist led to his involvement in politics, and he became a promoter of the settlement of Nebraska. The lack of trees, however, was an obstacle.
The Great Plains had been described as the ''"Great American Desert."'' The tallgrass prairie that covered much of Nebraska at that time could provide rich farmland, but without wood for building houses or for fuel to heat homes, few found it convenient to settle there. Even the allotment of free land by the Homestead Act failed to entice sufficient numbers of families to relocate to Nebraska.
Morton proposed Arbor Day as a tree planting holiday in 1872 at a meeting of the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture. On the first Arbor Day, prizes were offered to counties and to individuals for properly planting the largest number of trees. It was claimed that more than 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska on that day.
During the course of the 1870s, several other states passed legislation to observe Arbor Day. Schools began to adopt the tradition beginning in 1882. By 1894, Arbor Day was celebrated in each state of the United States.
Morton's home in Nebraska City, Arbor Lodge, is a state historical park, which includes an arboretum and extensive landscaped grounds. Adjacent to the public park, Morton's farm, now called Arbor Day Farm, is run by the National Arbor Day Foundation.

Observances

Australia

July 28 is National Tree Planting Day for schools throughout Australia and 30 July is National Tree Planting Day for the rest of the Nation.

Belgium

International Day of Treeplanting is celebrated in Flanders on or around 21 March as a theme-day/educational-day/observance, not as public holidays. Tree planting is sometimes combined with awareness campaigns of the fight against cancer: ''Kom Op Tegen Kanker''.

Cambodia

National Tree Planting Day is on June 1.

Central African Republic

National Tree Planting Day is on July 22.

Iran

National Tree Planting Day is on March 5.

Israel

Israel celebrates Tu B'Shevat, the new year for trees, on the fifteenth day of the month of Shevat, which usually falls in January or February. Originally based on the date used to calculate the age of fruit trees for tithing as mandated in Leviticus 19:23-25, the holiday now is most often observed by planting trees, or raising money to plant trees.^[1]

Japan

Japan celebrates a similarly themed Greenery Day, held on May 5th. Although it has a similar theme to Arbor Day, its roots lay in celebration of the birthday of Emperor Hirohito.

Kenya

National Tree Planting Day is on April 21.

Lesotho

National Tree Planting Day is on March 21.

Malawi

National Tree Planting Day is on the 2nd Monday of December.

Namibia

National Tree Planting Day is on September 7.

Netherlands

Since conference and of the Food and Agriculture Organization's publication ''World Festival of Trees'', and a resolution of the United Nations in 1954: "The Conference, recognising the need of arousing mass consciousness of the aesthetic, physical and economic value of trees, recommends a World Festival of Trees to be celebrated annually in each member country on a date suited to local conditions"; it has been adopted by the Netherlands. In 1957 the National Committee Day of Planting Trees/Foundation of National Festival of Trees (''Nationale Boomplantdag''/''Nationale Boomfeestdag'') was created.
On or around 21 March (the first day of Spring) or sometimes on or around 21 September (the first day of Autumn), threequarters of city school-children and others plant trees.
In 2007 the 50th anniversairy will be celebrated with special golden jubilee-activities.

People's Republic of China

Arbor Day (植樹節) is on March 12 to commemorate the passing of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the Chinese revolutionary, in 1925. In 1981, the fourth session of the Fifth National People's Congress adopted the "Resolution on the unfolding of a nationwide voluntary tree-planting campaign". This resolution stipulated that every able-bodied citizen between the ages of 11 and 60 should plant three to five trees per year or do the equivalent amount of work in seedling, cultivation, tree tending or other services. Supporting documentation instructs all units to report population statistics to the local afforestation committees as the basis for workload allocation. Moreover, those failing to do their duty are expected to make up planting requirements, provide funds equivalent to the value of labour required or pay heavy fines. Therefore, the tree-planting campaign is actually compulsory, or at least obligatory (that is, an obligation to the community). The "voluntary" in the title referred to the fact that the tree-planters would "volunteer" their labour.

South Africa

Arbor Day was celebrated from 1983 until 1999 in South Africa, when the national government extended it to National Arbor Week, which lasts from 1-7 September. Two trees, one common and one rare, are highlighted to increase public awareness of indigenous trees, while various "greening" activities are undertaken by schools, businesses and other organizations.

South Korea

Arbor Day (Sikmogil, 식목일) was a public holiday in South Korea on April 5 until 2005. The day is still celebrated, though. On non-leap years, the day coincides with Hansik.

Sri Lanka

National Tree Planting Day is on October 15.

Tanzania

National Tree Planting Day is on January 1.

Taiwan

Arbor Day (植樹節) is a public holiday in the Republic of China (Taiwan) on March 12. It commemorates the passing of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the Father of the Republic of China, in 1925.

Uganda

National Tree Planting Day is on March 24.

United States

The national holiday is celebrated every year on the last Friday in April; it is a civic holiday in Nebraska. Each state celebrates its own state holiday. The customary observance is to plant a tree.

External links

★ International Arbor Days

★ History of Arbor Day

★ National Arbor Day Foundation

★ State Arbor Days and state trees

★

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