History of Arbor Day

On January 4, 1872, J. Sterling Morton first proposed a tree planting holiday to be called "Arbor Day" in the state of Nebraska. The date was set for April 10, 1872. Prizes were offered to counties and individuals for properly planting the largest number of trees on that day. It was estimated that more than one million trees were planted in Nebraska on the first Arbor Day. In 1885 Arbor day was named a legal holiday in Nebraska and April 22, Morton’s birthday, was selected as the date for its observance.

During the 1870’s, other states passed legislation to observe Arbor Day, and the tradition began in schools in 1882. In 1978, Maine first celebrated Arbor Week during the 3rd full week of May. Previously, Arbor Day in Maine had been observed in late April, a time of the year when much of the state experiences cold, winter weather. Thwarted by snow and frozen ground in their efforts to observe Arbor Day, a group of students and their teacher from Dover-Foxcroft asked Maine’s Legislature to establish Arbor Week in May. The Legislature, impressed by the arguments of the 6th graders who came to Augusta as a class to speak for their bill, agreed to make the change.

Arbor Week is a time to reflect upon the enormous resource we have here in the State of Maine, our trees! They provide us with a plethora of environmental, economic, and aesthetic benefits. To celebrate this resource many Arbor activities are held throughout the state during Arbor Week. This provides those in the arboricultual field with an excellent opportunity to get involved in the communities we work and live in. There are many state and national programs which need leaders within the communities, or one can get involved in strictly local programs. The important thing is to convey the importance of trees to the citizens of our fine state! The State celebrates Arbor Week at the State Museum. Awards are presented to the National Arbor Day Foundation Poster Contest state winner, Tree City USA’s, Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine Volunteer of the Year, Maine Community Forestry Council Environmental Improvement Award, and the Outstanding Forest Stewardship Award just to name a few. The exact date for this year’s celebration has not been determined, but you can be sure fun will be had by all attending!

For further information please contact:

Pine Tree State Arboretum Community Forestry Assistance
Jan Ames: (207)623-2371
The National Arbor Day Foundation
100 Arbor Avenue
Nebraska City, NE 68410