Arbor Day

Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday in April. It's a holiday that celebrates trees. How exactly do you celebrate a tree? You plant more, of course! People have been planting trees on Arbor Day for over a hundred years, thanks to one man.

Home, Home On The Range

If you drove through Nebraska today you would never know that the state used to be a dusty prairie. When J. Sterling Morton and his wife moved from Michigan to Nebraska, the nature lovers immediately began planting trees. The local newspaper editor encouraged citizens to make April 10th a holiday to plant trees.

Arbor (which means tree) Day was first celebrated in 1872 when locals planted more than a million trees. J. Sterling even offered prizes to those who planted the most trees. Thirteen years after Arbor Day became a holiday, the date was changed to April 22 in honor of J. Sterling's birthday. The official planting day is celebrated worldwide, usually on the last Friday in April.

Arbor Day Quick Facts

Since tree planting season changes across the US, some states observe Arbor Day on different dates. Hawaiians, for example, plant trees on the first Friday in November.

Arbor Day was the inspiration for Earth Day, an international holiday that is celebrated on April 22nd.

My school is having all the fifth graders that wants to, to plant a tree for Arbor Day. It's for every fifth graders in all the schools in my County which is A LOT of schools! And whatever school has the most fifth graders to plant a tree that was given to them gets a special prize! Those fifth graders in the school get a big pizza party and other cool stuff!