Where did Arbor Day come from?

Arbor Day is a celebration that takes place in a number of countries around the world. Every country has its own unique take on it and celebrates it at a different time of the year - depending on how their countries are affected by the changes in seasons.

 

The Northern Hemisphere tends to have they celebrations at the beginning of the year, while the Southern Hemisphere celebrates towards the end of the year, at the beginning of Spring. South Africa celebrates Arbor Day, and to a larger extent Arbor Week, in the first week of September from the 1st to the 7th.

 

The first official celebration of Arbor Day was on the 10th of April 1872 in Nebraska, USA. The man who started the trend was Julius Sterling Morton, a Michigan native who moved to Nebraska to become the editor of a newspaper. When he and his wife built their home, they noticed a lack of trees on their property, and while many people assumed that there were none due to the fact that the property and region were not really well suited for it, Morton and his wife decided to go ahead and do it anyway.

 

The initial reasons Morton gave when he began promoting his new plan were quite different from the reasons we cite when we celebrate the day now. We celebrate Arbor Day in the 21st century in order to promote conservation of natural resources, and allowing trees to grow in abundance, which will increase oxygen production and provide us with a generally cleaner Earth. Morton, however, claimed that planting trees was not only a way to make your property look better, but it would also block high winds, provide a barrier against the harsh rays from the sun, and provide wood and fuel for building and heating.

 

On Arbor Day, the plan is to have every person plant one tree, thereby showing respect to nature by helping it sustain itself through all of the harm we’ve done. Many schools and organizations have taken to using the day to plant trees in honor of people in the community who they feel have been helpful and have had a significant impact on their lives, bringing an incredible social factor into the day on top of the great ecological advantage it brings.

 

 

How to plant a tree on Arbor Day

Arbor Day is a worldwide holiday that is celebrated at different times during the year in different regions. Having started in the 19th century in Nebraska in the United States, the day has become a popular way of giving back to nature. In order to do so, and to make sure that your planted tree will grow to its full capacity, it is important to understand how to plant the tree properly. With most plants, it may be as simple as clearing a little patch of mulch and sticking the plant into it, then re-covering it to ensure that the roots grab hold. Trees, however, need a little more care and attention than that.

 

•   The first thing you need to do is to make sure your tree and the soil you’re looking to plant it in is good enough to promote growth. You will preferably need a large section of open land with loose, fertilized and watered soil. Make sure your trees roots are not broken or clumped too much, because this will cause it to not be able to branch out and grab hold of the ground once it is planted.

 

•   Next, dig your hole, and make sure that it is at least twice as wide as the rootball of the tree, and do not make it any deeper than it had been planted previously in the growth centre you got it from.

 

•   If there is a burlap sack around the rootball, cut it off after placing it in the hole, but you can leave the sack at the bottom of the hole, since it will simply become compost over time and aid in the growth of the tree.

 

•   Fill up the hole with loose soil and a little bit of water to keep it moist. Once the hole is filled, compact the soil with your hands to make sure there are no remaining air pockets between the soil and the tree roots.

 

•   In order to ensure the straight growth of the tree, plant a stake next to it and tie it loosely to the tree. Once you are sure the tree will grow straight unhindered, cut the stake out, or leave it, and allow the tree to push it out as it grows.

 

•   Water the tree every day for several weeks after it is planted. This will allow the roots to grow and grab hold of the soil quickly, and after that, you should have a self-sustaining tree, right in your back yard!