What is Arbor Day?
Arbor Day is a nationally-celebrated observance that encourages tree planting and care.
Arbor Day History
In 1872, J. Sterling Morton, journalist and editor of Nebraska’s first newspaper, proposed to the Nebraska Board of Agriculture that a special day be set aside for the planting of trees. Nebraska was a treeless plain, and it was the lack of trees that led to the founding of Arbor Day.
Arbor Day was first observed on April 10, 1872 with the planting of more than a million trees in Nebraska. It wasn’t until 1885 that Arbor Day was named a legal holiday in Nebraska and April 22, Morton’s birthday, was selected as the date for Nebraska’s permanent observance.
Arbor Day is now observed throughout the nation and the world. National Arbor Day is the last Friday in April, but many states observe Arbor Day on different dates according to their best tree-planting times. North Carolina observes Arbor Day the first Friday following March 15th.
Wake Forest’s Arbor Day Celebration
The Town of Wake Forest’s Arbor Day celebration is a part of the Urban Forestry Program which is administered by the Wake Forest Tree Board. The event takes place during the 3rd week of March. Activities include an Arbor Day ceremony and a special tree planting. During the ceremony, Green Medals are presented to Wake Forest area residents, civic clubs and companies that have demonstrated exceptional care and concern for the environment and/or Wake Forest’s urban forest. Medals are awarded in the following categories:
Civic - Awarded to an individual, civic club or organization which has shown outstanding service, education, tree planting or other volunteer-based work. Participation in a tree board-sponsored event is encouraged, but should not be the only example of service.
Corporate - Awarded to a company or business which exhibits a pattern of commitment to the environment, or which has made a significant contribution to the urban forest through an internal education program, a self-initiated tree planting or other outreach project.
Program or Project - Designed to honor a program or project which promotes good urban forestry or environmental practice, or to a development which has shown excellence in tree preservation or landscaping. Only those developments which exceed town requirements or meet them by using particularly creative methods such as innovative planting or design will be considered.
Community Forester - This award is intended to honor a lifetime or career of excellence in urban forestry or leadership in environmental integrity and practice. The recipient’s service should be demonstrated as having a significant impact on the community as a whole and/or future generations of Wake Foresters.
Also during the ceremony, the Tree Board presents award certificates and savings bonds to the winners of the Arbor Day Poster Contest. The National Arbor Day Foundation theme is used and students are asked to create a poster that reflects his or her knowledge of that theme. The 2005 Arbor Day theme was “Trees are Terrific…and Energy Wise”. Winners are selected in three categories.
“Best Picture’, ‘Most Creative’ and ‘Honorable Mention’. The poster chosen for ‘Best Picture’ is used as the Arbor Day t-shirt illustration.
In addition, Tree City USA and Growth Awards are presented during the ceremony by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR) to the Mayor. Wake Forest’s has been a Tree City USA for 26 years and has received the Growth Award for 12 consecutive years.
The National Arbor Day Foundation, in cooperation with the US Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters, recognizes towns and cities across America that meet the standards of the Tree City USA Program. To be recognized as a Tree City USA – the towns and cities must meet 4 standards.
Standard 1: A Tree Board or Department
Standard 2: A Community Tree Ordinance
Standard 3: A Community Forestry Program with an Annual Budget of at least $2 per capita.
Standard 4: An Arbor Day Observance and Proclamation
To qualify for the Growth Award, a community must have spent at least as much on its community forestry program the present year as it did the previous year.
Wake Forest Elementary students provide the entertainment with the direction of the school’s music and dance teachers. A guest speaker is always invited to share information on the importance of trees to the audience.
In honor of Arbor Day, 1,500 tree seedlings are distributed to Wake Forest Elementary and to those that attend the ceremony. Refreshments are provided by the Wake Forest Garden and Woman’s Club. Following the ceremony, a special tree planting takes place. Previously, trees have been planted in town parks, schools, along town streets and the Wake Forest Cemetery.