Trees and Arbor Day go hand-in-hand. In fact, Arbor Day is a day set aside to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees! It is celebrated in many places around the world. Let’s learn more about trees and Arbor Day!
Arbor Day is a national holiday in the United States, an annual reminder to celebrate the many benefits of trees. The first official Arbor Day in the United States was held in 1872, to help get trees planted across the vast prairie of Nebraska. On that first celebration, about 1 million trees were planted across the state! We now celebrate this special holiday each year on the last Friday of April.
Trees are so important, let’s look at some of their many benefits:
- They cool the Earth by providing shade, and by releasing water vapor into the air.
- They provide shelter for many animals.
- They provide foods like nuts, berries and fruits.
- They remove carbon pollution from the air.
- They provide oxygen for us to breathe!
- Trees provide wood for building, and pulp for making paper.
- They also reduce energy use, by shading your home in summer & providing protection against winds in colder weather.
- Their roots help reduce erosion, keeping land stable during rainstorms, especially on hillsides.
- Let’s not forget that they are really pretty, and they smell good too!
More fun facts about some interesting trees:
- The tallest tree in the world is a California redwood we’ve named ‘Hyperion’ It is taller than the Statue of Liberty.
- The biggest tree in the world is also in California, a type of redwood called sequoia. We call it ‘General Sherman’ and its largest branch is almost 7 feet in diameter.
- Earth’s oldest tree is a bristlecone pine in California, named ‘Methuselah’. It is 4,800 years old!
Celebrating trees and Arbor Day is special. How will you celebrate?
