You don't have to be a tree-hugger to appreciate trees or to celebrate Arbor Day today. Trees provide us with so much from shade to food to the oxygen we breathe.
The first Arbor Day in the world began in the Spanish village of Mondoñedo in 1594. Lime and horse-chestnut trees were all the rage back then. The first Arbor Day in America was celebrated in Nebraska, on April 10, 1872. Where an estimated one million trees were planted in Nebraska alone. Shortly after this 1872 observance, other states passed legislation to observe Arbor Day each year with appropriate ceremonies. By 1920, more than 45 states and territorial possessions were celebrating Arbor Day. Today, Arbor Day is celebrated in all fifty states. Throughout the world, people of all ages are planting trees, caring for them and learning their value.
Did you know?
- A mature tree on your property can add between $1,000 and $10,000 to the value of your home, depending on its size and condition.
- Trees can be a stimulus to economic development, attracting new business and tourism. Commercial retail areas are more attractive to shoppers, apartments rent more quickly, tenants stay longer, and space in a wooded setting is more valuable to sell or rent.
- One acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide per year, putting out four tons of oxygen. That's enough oxygen annually to support 18 people.
- Trees properly placed around buildings can slash air conditioning needs by 30 percent and can save 20 to 30 percent in energy used for heating.
- Planting trees translates to improved water quality, reduced stormwater runoff and less erosion. Wooded areas help prevent sediment and chemicals from flowing into streams.
Quotes about trees
"No shade tree? Blame not the sun but yourself." - Chinese proverb
"The forests are the flags of nature." - Enos A. Mills
"The best friend on earth of man is the tree. When we use the tree respectfully and economically, we have one of the greatest resources on earth." - Frank Lloyd Wright
"The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness." - John Muir
"He who plants a tree plants hope." - Lucy Larcom
"Trees are the Earth's endless effort to speak to the listening heaven." - Rabindranath Tagore
"In the woods we return to reason and faith." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"To exist as a nation, to prosper as a state and to live as a people, we must have trees." - Theodore Roosevelt.
"He that plants trees loves others beside himself." - Thomas Fuller
"I never before knew the full value of trees. Under them I breakfast, dine, write, read and receive my company." - Thomas Jefferson
