As settlers moved to the Nebraska Territory, they sorely missed the trees they had grown up under. The lack of tree windbreaks led to greater soil erosion as they started tilling the land, and they soon realized they needed to plant more trees to preserve their way of life.
On January 4, 1872 Nebraska newspaper editor J. Sterling Morton, long a champion of planting trees, proposed a tree planting holiday to be called “Arbor Day” at a meeting of the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture. The first Arbor Day was celebrated on April 10, 1872 and prizes were offered to counties and individuals who planted the most trees on that day. Over 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska that first Arbor Day. Nebraska’s Governor Robert Furnas officially proclaimed an annual Arbor Day in 1874, and in 1885 it was made an official Nebraska state holiday.
Other states adopted the holiday, and by 1920 over 45 states and territories were celebrating Arbor Day. Arbor Day is now celebrated in all states and over 30 countries, with most observing the holiday on the last Friday in April. Some places, however, set other dates so their tree planting efforts would be more successful.
Source: Arbor Day Foundation
https://www.arborday.org/celebrate/history.cfm
All of our Weston Nurseries Garden Centers have a huge selection of trees available to plant on Arbor Day. Stop by your nearest location and find your perfect Arbor Day tree today!
