3 minute read
All About Arbor Day
Andi Sedlacek
Andi Sedlacek is the acting communications director for the DNR.
Humble Holiday Keeps On Growing
A simple idea, to celebrate planting trees, and it’s grown into a national holiday: Arbor Day.
Arbor Day’s roots began in the late 1800s in Nebraska where, according to the Arbor Day Foundation, residents of Nebraska City felt a lack of trees in their community. The secretary of the Nebraska Territory at the time, J. Sterling Morton, proposed a statewide tree-planting holiday, and on April 10, 1872, the first Arbor Day was celebrated.
Part of that initial celebration included prizes for counties and individuals who properly planted the largest number of trees on that day, resulting in an estimated 1 million or more trees being planted.
Arbor Day observances quickly sprouted from there. By 1920, more than 45 states and territories were celebrating Arbor Day, including Wisconsin. Today, it is observed in all 50 states and in countries around the world, making Arbor Day a truly global effort.
The Arbor Day Foundation estimates tens of millions of trees are planted each year in honor of Arbor Day, with more than 500 million trees planted in celebration of the holiday in the past 50 years!
Wisconsin Celebrates
In the Badger State, Arbor Day was first observed in 1883 and continues to be celebrated here every year on the last Friday in April. It coincides with Forest Appreciation Week in Wisconsin, which runs from Earth Day to Arbor Day each year.
In 1980, Arbor Day became one of the 21 Wisconsin Public School Observance Days, special days dedicated to teaching the elements of tradition that preserve U.S. society and foster an awareness of our cultural heritage. Observance Days are enacted by Wisconsin state statute.
Arbor Day has always been important to the DNR. Every year, part of the agency’s celebration includes offering free tree seedlings to every fourth grade student in the state.
“This program enables us to bring forest education directly to the hands of students and teach them about the importance of trees and of managing and growing our forests,” said Heather Berklund, the DNR’s chief state forester.
DNR state nurseries provide about 50,000 free seedlings to fourth graders each year. They’re delivered to homeschoolers, handed out in classrooms, and tucked into students’ backpacks to take home (protected to keep the backpacks clean). Students also get information on how to plant and care for the seedlings and the trees they’ll grow into.
These trees often become living family legacies in yards across the state. And they go a long way toward helping with Gov. Tony Evers’ recent executive order goal of 100 million new trees planted in Wisconsin by 2030 as a way to promote environmental justice, tackle climate change and protect clean air, clean water and abundant wildlife habitat.
The Wisconsin State Park System also celebrates Arbor Day every year, with tree-planting events, hikes and tree talks at state parks, forests and recreation areas. Just like trees, Arbor Day celebrations keep on growing!
Learn More
Arbor Day this year will be observed in Wisconsin on April 25. To find an Arbor Day event near you, visit the DNR's Events calendar.
For more on celebrating Arbor Day, including how to plant and care for trees and links to fun activities, check out the DNR's Celebrate Arbor Day webpage.
