Arbor Day
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Arbor Day (or Arbour Day in some countries) is a secular day of observance in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees.[1] Today, many countries observe such a holiday. Though usually observed in the spring, the date varies, depending on climate and suitable planting season.
Origins and history
First Arbor Day
The Spanish village of Mondoñedo held the first documented arbor plantation festival in the world organized by its mayor in 1594. The place remains as Alameda de los Remedios and it is still planted with lime and horse-chestnut trees. A humble granite marker and a bronze plate recall the event. Additionally, the small Spanish village of Villanueva de la Sierra held the first modern Arbor Day, an initiative launched in 1805 by the local priest with the enthusiastic support of the entire population.
While Napoleon was ravaging Europe with his ambition in this village in the Sierra de Gata lived a priest, don Juan Abern Samtrés, which, according to the chronicles, "convinced of the importance of trees for health, hygiene, decoration, nature, environment and customs, decides to plant trees and give a festive air. The festival began on Carnival Tuesday with the ringing of two bells of the church, and the Middle and the Big. After the Mass, and even coated with church ornaments, don Juan, accompanied by clergies, teachers and a large number of neighbours, planted the first tree, a poplar, in the place known as Valley of the Ejido. Tree plantations continued by Arroyada and Fuente de la Mora. Afterwards, there was a feast, and did not miss the dance. The party and plantations lasted three days. He drafted a manifesto in defence of the trees that was sent to surrounding towns to spread the love and respect for nature, and also he advised to make tree plantations in their localities.
— Miguel Herrero Uceda, Arbor Day
First American Arbor Day
The first American Arbor Day was originated by J. Sterling Morton of Nebraska City, Nebraska, at an annual meeting of the Nebraska State board of agriculture held in Lincoln.[2] On April 10, 1872, an estimated one million trees were planted in Nebraska.[3]
In 1883, the
McCreight and Theodore Roosevelt
Beginning in 1906,
Around the world
Australia
Arbour Day has been observed in Australia since 20 June 1889. National Schools Tree Day is held on the last Friday of July for schools and National Tree Day the last Sunday in July throughout Australia. Many states have Arbour Day, although
Belgium
International Day of Treeplanting is celebrated in Flanders on or around 21 March as a theme-day/educational-day/observance, not as a public holiday. Tree planting is sometimes combined with awareness campaigns of the fight against cancer: Kom Op Tegen Kanker.
Brazil
The Arbor Day (Dia da Árvore) is celebrated on September 21. It is not a national holiday. However, schools nationwide celebrate this day with environment-related activities, namely tree planting.
British Virgin Islands
Arbour Day is celebrated on November 22. It is sponsored by the National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands. Activities include an annual national Arbour Day Poetry Competition and tree planting ceremonies throughout the territory.
Cambodia
Cambodia celebrates Arbor Day on July 9 with a tree planting ceremony attended by the king.[8][9]
Canada
The day was founded by Sir
Central African Republic
National Tree Planting Day is on July 22.[12][13]
Chile
"Dia del Arbol" was celebrated on June 28, 2022, as defined by Chile's Environment Ministry
Greater China
Republic of China (Taiwan)
Arbor Day (植樹節) was founded by the forester
People's Republic of China
In People's Republic of China, during the fourth session of the Fifth National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China in 1979 adopted the Resolution on the Unfolding of a Nationwide Voluntary Tree-planting Campaign. This resolution established the Arbor Day (植树节), also March 12, and stipulated that every able-bodied citizen between the ages of 11 and 60 should plant three to five trees per year or do the equivalent amount of work in seedling, cultivation, tree tending, or other services. Supporting documentation instructs all units to report population statistics to the local afforestation committees for workload allocation.[20] Many couples choose to marry the day before the annual celebration, and they plant the tree to mark beginning of their life together and the new life of the tree.
Republic of Congo
National Tree Planting Day is on November 6.[citation needed]
Costa Rica
"Día del Árbol" is on June 15.
Cuba
"Dia del Árbol" (Day of the Tree) was first observed on October 10, 1904, and today is officially observed on June 21 of each year.[21]
Czech Republic
Arbor Day in the Czech Republic is celebrated on October 20.
Egypt
Arbor Day is on January 15.[22]
Germany
Arbor Day ("Tag des Baumes") is on April 25. Its first celebration was in 1952.
India
Van Mahotsav is an annual pan-Indian tree planting festival, occupying a week in the month of July. During this event millions of trees are planted. It was initiated in 1950 by K. M. Munshi, the then Union Minister for Agriculture and Food, to create an enthusiasm in the mind of the populace for the conservation of forests and planting of trees.
The name Van Mahotsava (the festival of trees) originated in July 1947 after a successful tree-planting drive was undertaken in
Iran
In Iran, it is known as "National Tree Planting Day". By the Solar Hijri calendar, it is on the fifteenth day of the month Esfand, which usually corresponds with March 5. This day is the first day of the "Natural Recyclable Resources Week" (March 5 to 12).
This is the time when the saplings of the all kinds in terms of different climates of different parts of Iran are shared among the people. They are also taught how to plant trees.[23]
Israel
The Jewish holiday
Japan
Japan celebrates a similarly themed Greenery Day, held on May 4.
Kenya
National Tree Planting Day is on April 21. Often people plant palm trees and coconut trees along the Indian Ocean that borders the east coast of Kenya. They plant trees to remember Prof. Wangari Maathai, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for planting of trees and caring for them all over Kenya.
Korea
North Korea marks "Tree Planting Day" on March 2, when people across the country plant trees. This day is considered to combine traditional Asian cultural values with the country's dominant Communist ideology.[26][27]
In South Korea, April 5, Singmogil or Sikmogil (식목일), the Arbor Day, was a public holiday until 2005. Even though Singmogil is no longer an official holiday, the day is still celebrated, with the South Korean public continuing to take part in tree-planting activities.[28][29]
Lesotho
National Tree Planting Day is usually on March 21 depending on the lunar cycle.[citation needed]
Luxembourg
National Tree Planting Day is on the second Saturday in November.[30]
Malawi
National Tree Planting Day is on the 2nd Monday of December.
Mexico
The Día del Árbol was established in Mexico in 1959 with President Adolfo López Mateos issuing a decree that it should be observed on the 2nd Thursday of July.[31]
Mongolia
National Tree Planting Day is on the 2nd Saturday of May and October. The first National Tree Planting Day was celebrated May 8, 2010.
Namibia
Namibia's first Arbor Day was celebrated on October 8, 2004.[32] It takes place annually on the second Friday of October.[33]
Netherlands
Since conference and of the Food and Agriculture Organization's publication World Festival of Trees, and a resolution of the United Nations in 1954: "The Conference, recognising the need of arousing mass consciousness of the aesthetic, physical and economic value of trees, recommends a World Festival of Trees to be celebrated annually in each member country on a date suited to local conditions"; it has been adopted by the Netherlands. In 1957, the National Committee Day of Planting Trees/Foundation of National Festival of Trees (Nationale Boomplantdag/Nationale Boomfeestdag) was created.
On the third Wednesday in March each year (near the spring equinox), three quarters of Dutch schoolchildren aged 10/11 and Dutch celebrities plant trees. Stichting Nationale Boomfeestdag organizes all the activities in the Netherlands for this day. Some municipalities however plant the trees around 21 September because of the planting season.[34]
In 2007, the 50th anniversary was celebrated with special golden jubilee activities.
New Zealand
Prominent New Zealand botanist Dr Leonard Cockayne worked extensively on native plants throughout New Zealand and wrote many notable botanical texts. As early as the 1920s he held a vision for school students of New Zealand to be involved in planting native trees and plants in their school grounds. This vision bore fruit and schools in New Zealand have long planted native trees on Arbor Day.
Since 1977, New Zealand has celebrated Arbor Day on 5 June, which is also World Environment Day. Prior to then, Arbor Day was celebrated on 4 August, which is rather late in the year for tree planting in New Zealand, hence the date change.
Many of the Department of Conservation's Arbor Day activities focus on ecological restoration projects using native plants to restore habitats that have been damaged or destroyed by humans or invasive pests and weeds. There are great restoration projects underway around New Zealand and many organisations including community groups, landowners, conservation organisations, iwi, volunteers, schools, local businesses, nurseries and councils are involved in them. These projects are part of a vision to protect and restore the indigenous biodiversity.
Niger
Since 1975, Niger has celebrated Arbor Day as part of its Independence Day: 3 August. On this day, aiding the fight against desertification, each Nigerien plants a tree. [clarification needed]
North Macedonia
Having in mind the bad condition of the forest fund, and in particular the catastrophic wildfires which occurred in the summer of 2007, a citizens' initiative for afforestation was started in North Macedonia. The campaign by the name 'Tree Day-Plant Your Future' was first organized on 12 March 2008, when an official non-working day was declared and more than 150,000 Macedonians planted 2 million trees in one day (symbolically, one for each citizen). Six million more were planted in November the same year, and another 12,5 million trees in 2009. This has been established as a tradition and takes place every year.
Pakistan
Philippines
Since 1947, Arbor Day in the Philippines has been institutionalized to be observed throughout the nation by planting trees and ornamental plants and other forms of relevant activities. Its practice was instituted through Proclamation No. 30.[37] It was subsequently revised by Proclamation No. 41,[38] issued in the same year. In 1955, the commemoration was extended from a day to a week and moved to the last full week of July.[39] Over two decades later, its commemoration was moved to the second week of June.[40] In 2003, the commemorations were reduced from a week to a day and was moved to June 25 per Proclamation No. 396.[41] The same proclamation directed "the active participation of all government agencies, including government-owned and controlled corporations, private sector, schools, civil society groups and the citizenry in tree planting activity".[42] It was subsequently revised by Proclamation 643[43] in the succeeding year.
In 2012, Republic Act 10176 was passed, which revived tree planting events "as [a] yearly event for local government units"
Poland
In Poland, Arbor Day has been celebrated since 2002. Each October 10, many Polish people plant trees as well as participate in events organized by ecological foundations. Moreover, Polish Forest Inspectorates and schools give special lectures and lead ecological awareness campaigns.
Portugal
Arbor Day is celebrated on March 21. It is not a national holiday but instead schools nationwide celebrate this day with environment-related activities, namely tree planting.
Russia
All-Russian day of forest plantation was celebrated for the first time on 14 May 2011. Now it is held in April–May (it depends on the weather in different regions).
Samoa
Arbor Day in Samoa is celebrated on the first Friday in November.
Saudi Arabia
Arbor Day in Saudi Arabia is celebrated on April 29.
Singapore
In 1971 a 'Tree Planting Day' was established which in 1990 was replaced by 'Clean and Green Week'.[49]
South Africa
Arbor Day was celebrated from 1945 until 2000 in South Africa. After that, the national government extended it to National Arbor Week, which lasts annually from 1–7 September. Two trees,[50] one common and one rare, are highlighted to increase public awareness of indigenous trees, while various "greening" activities are undertaken by schools, businesses and other organizations. For example, the social enterprise Greenpop, which focusses on sustainable urban greening, forest restoration and environmental awareness in Sub-Saharan Africa,[51] leverages Arbor Day each year to call for tree planting action. During Arbor Month 2019, responding to recent studies that underscore the importance of tree restoration, they launched their new goal of planting 500,000 by 2025.[52][53]
Spain
In 1896 Mariano Belmás Estrada promoted the first "Festival of Trees" in Madrid.[54] In Spain there was an
As an example of commitment to nature, the small town of Pescueza, with only 180 inhabitants, organizes every spring a large plantation of holm oaks, which is called the "Festivalino", promoted by city council, several foundations, and citizen participation.[56]
Sri Lanka
National Tree Planting Day is on November 15.
Tanzania
National Tree Planting Day is on April 1.
Turkey
National Tree Planting Day is on November 11.[57]
Uganda
National Tree Planting Day is on March 24.
United Kingdom
First mounted in 1975, National Tree Week is a celebration of the start of the winter tree planting season, usually at the end of November. Around a million trees are planted each year by schools, community organizations and local authorities.
On 6 February 2020, Myerscough College in Lancashire, England, supported by the Arbor Day Foundation, celebrated the UK's first Arbor Day.[58][59]
United States
Arbor Day was founded in 1872 by
National Arbor Day is celebrated every year on the last Friday in April; it is a
have selected their own dates for Arbor Day.The customary observance is to plant a tree. On the first Arbor Day, April 10, 1872, an estimated one million trees were planted.[3]
Venezuela
Venezuela recognizes Día del Arbol (Day of the Tree) on the last Sunday of May.
See also
- Arbor Day Foundation (US)
- Earth Day
- Greenery Day (Japan)
- International Day of Forests
- National Public Lands Day (US)
- Timeline of environmental events
- Tu BiShvat (Jewish holiday)
- World Water Day
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... hereby proclaim the second Saturday of September of each year as Arbor Day, to be observed in schools and elsewhere ...
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... hereby proclaim the week ending with the last Saturday of July of each year as Arbor Week to be observed throughout the country ...
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... hereby proclaim the period from June 7 to 12, 1976, and every second week of June thereafter, as ARBOR WEEK, to be observed throughout the nation ...
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... hereby declare Wednesday, June 25, 2003 as PHILIPPINES ARBOR DAY, to be observed throughout the nation ...
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... hereby amend Proclamation No. 396 dated 02 June 2003 by declaring every 25th of June as Philippines Arbor Day to be observed throughout the nation ...
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has generic name (help) - ^ "Myerscough branches out with inaugural Arbor Day | Myerscough College". www.myerscough.ac.uk. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
- ^ "Myerscough's inaugural Arbor Day is tree-mendous | Myerscough College". www.myerscough.ac.uk. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
External links
- International Arbor Days
- Arbor Day lesson plans for the classroom
- National Arbor Day Foundation
- State Arbor Days and state trees
- Arbor Day Leaves – A Complete Programme For Arbor Day Observance, Including Readings, Recitations, Music, and General Information at Project Gutenberg
- History of Arbor Day