A man by the name of Julius Sterling Morton once said, “Each generation takes the earth as trustees.” Morton was known as the Father of Arbor Day, the national and international observance that celebrates the environment, conservation and tree plantation. But Arbor Day did not originate in the United States. In fact, Arbor Day has been around for centuries and finds its roots toward the end of the 16th century somewhere in the heart of Spain. In 1594, the mayor of Mondoñedo organized a day for tree plantation in the form of a festival.
It was called Alameda de los Remedios, and to this day, is still celebrated with the plantation of lime and horse-chestnut trees. Arbor Day in the sense that is observed now – with the environment and conservation at the forefront of the mind – was first officially recognized in another Spanish village, called Villanueva de la Sierra, during the height of Napoleon Bonaparte’s conquest of Europe in 1805. The local priest called don Ramón Vacas Roxo, wanted the villagers to know the vital role trees played in their daily lives, providing oxygen for them to live and cushioning the surrounding environment with health and hygiene. Natural scientist Miguel Herrero Uceda said, “The festival began on Carnival Tuesday with the ringing of two bells of the church, and the Middle and the Big.
After the Mass, and even coated with church ornaments, don Ramón, accompanied by clergies, teachers and a large number of neighbours, planted the first tree, a poplar, in the place known as Valley of the Ejido.” A feast and a dance were also featured at the Arbor Day celebration, and the tradition extended to other towns for years after. The story as Americans know it did not take place until 1872. Morton was a journalist and politician living in Nebraska, and he spent much of his life dedicated to improving agricultural techniques in the state and the rest of the nation. He served as the Secretary of Agriculture during President Grover Cleveland’s administration. He believed the nation could benefit both environmentally and economically through tree plantation, which is why, when he became a member of Nebraska’s state board of agriculture, he campaigned to bring an official Arbor Day to the United States.
More than one million trees were planted that first Arbor Day in 1872, and the holiday was legalized in 1885. Kansas, Tennessee, Minnesota and Ohio followed suit the next few years, and in 1970, President Richard Nixon made the last Friday in April a national holiday. Countries worldwide also celebrate their own forms of Arbor Day.
Some keep with the name, such as Brazil, the British Virgin Islands, Cambodia and Egypt. Some, however, celebrate tree planting underneath a different façade. Canada celebrates National Forest Week, Australia celebrates National Schools Tree Day and Belgium has an International Day of Treeplanting, to name a few.
Every country that celebrates has a different time of year in which they hold Arbor Day because climate is different with each area. The United States this year will be celebrating it Friday, April 27. Check out your local community to find out what opportunities you have this Arbor Day to recognize the environment and plant a tree. Redlands, Highland, Riverside, Rancho Cucamonga, Corona, Chino and Hemet are all nearby cities that are on the list of Tree City USA (The Arbor Day Foundation) communities.