| Across New Jersey, municipalities, schools,
and organizations are joining together and celebrating Arbor
Day on the last Friday in April. Here are some of the ways we'd
like to help make your Arbor Day celebration a success:
How Arbor Day Began
More than 150 years ago, a pioneer named J. Sterling
Morton moved into the Nebraska territory from Detroit. Settling
on this vast treeless plain, he and his wife, both nature lovers,
began planting trees. As the editor of Neberaska's first newspaper,
Morton spread agricultural information and his enthusiasm for
trees to an equally enthusiastic audience. Not only were the
trees missed by his fellow pioneers, they were needed as windbreaks
to keep soil from blowing and for fuel and building materials.
In his articles and editorials Morton not only advocated tree
planting, but also encouraged civic organizations and groups
of every kind to participate in tree planting activities. His
prominence in the area increased and he became secretary of
the Nebraska Territory, which provided him with another opportunity
to stress the value of trees. On January 4, 1872, Morton first
proposed a tree planting holiday to be called Arbor Day at a
meeting of the State Board of Agriculture. It was estimated
that more than one million trees were planted in Nebraska on
the first Arbor Day in history!
Past Arbor Days
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to Community Forestry home page
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