The origin of Arbor Day

Julius Sterling Morton

The first Arbor Day took place on April 10, 1872 in Nebraska. It was the brainchild of Julius Sterling Morton (1832-1902), a Nebraska journalist and politician originally from Michigan.  Throughout his long and productive career, Morton worked to improve agricultural techniques in his adopted state and throughout the United States when he served as President Grover Cleveland's Secretary of Agriculture. But his most important legacy is Arbor Day.
Morton (photo, right) felt that Nebraska's landscape and economy would benefit from the wide-scale planting of trees. He set an example himself planting orchards, shade trees and wind breaks on his own farm and he urged his neighbours to follow suit.  Morton's real opportunity, though, arrived when he became a member of Nebraska's state board of agriculture.  He proposed that a special day be set aside dedicated to tree planting and increasing awareness of the importance of trees.  Nebraska's first Arbor Day was an amazing success.  More than one million trees were planted.  A second Arbor Day took place in 1884 and the young state made it an annual legal holiday in 1885, using April 22nd to coincide with Morton's birthday.

In the years following that first Arbor Day, Morton's idea spread beyond Nebraska with Kansas, Tennessee, Minnesota and Ohio all proclaiming their own Arbor Days.  Today all 50 states celebrate Arbor Day although the dates may vary in keeping with the local climate.  (State Arbor Days) At the federal level, in 1970, President Richard Nixon proclaimed the last Friday in April as National Arbor Day.  Arbor Day is also now celebrated in other countries including Australia.  Variations are celebrated as 'Greening Week' of Japan, 'The New Year's Days of Trees' in Israel, 'The Tree-loving Week' of Korea, 'The Reforestation Week' of Yugoslavia, 'The Students' Afforestation Day' of Iceland and 'The National Festival of Tree Planting' in India.  Julius Sterling Morton would be proud.  Sometimes one good idea can make a real difference.

China's Arbor Day 

Dr. Sun Yat-sen

China celebrates Arbor Day, or Tree Planting Day, on March 12. The day commemorates the passing of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, China's democratic revolution forerunner, who died on March 12, 1925.

Over the past two decades, many people have participated in tree-planting since the country designated March 12 as Tree Planting Day in 1979. China launched its national voluntary tree-planting campaign in the early 1980s.

According to a 1981 NPC (National People's Congress, China's top legislature) resolution, all able-bodied Chinese citizens older than age 11 have an obligation to plant three to five trees every year.

For different types of climates and suitable times for tree-planting，many provinces and cities in China have a local Arbor Day, Arbor Week and Arbor Month.