National Arbor Day 2025: April 25th
With Earth Day taking center stage year after year on April 22nd, Arbor Day, celebrated on the last Friday in April, often ends up taking a back seat. But while these holidays are similar, Arbor Day has a rich history all its own that's worth remembering! So for National Arbor Day 2025, let's take a moment and learn about this important day.
Where Did Arbor Day Come From?
In the late 1800s, a humble newspaper editor by the name of Julius Sterling Morton left his home in Detroit for the unknowns of Nebraska. Like many other pioneers to the area, he immediately noticed the lack of trees upon arriving.
This was concerning, as trees are vital to a functioning society. They're an important source of fuel and building materials, and act as windbreaks to help protect man-made structures from inclement weather. Their roots help prevent soil erosion, which is important for farming. And of course, trees play a huge role in the ecosystem, providing food and shelter for various animals and contributing to the pollinator population.
And so, not long after settling in his new home, Morton began spreading the word about the importance of trees, and advocating for the community to plant as many as possible.
Eventually, Morton became the secretary of the Nebraska Territory, and he used this position to further spread his message and personally see to widespread tree planting. He came up with the idea to host a community tree-planting event, with prizes awarded to individuals who planted the most trees. He even stipulated that only trees "properly planted" would count towards winning the prize, to ensure as many trees as possible would survive to adulthood.
This first Arbor Day, celebrated on April 10th, 1872, was wildly successful. By most estimates, more than 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska that day.
The Legacy of Arbor Day
Nebraska continued to celebrate Arbor Day every year, thought it wouldn't become an official state holiday until 1885.
But Morton's dedication to trees didn't just pay off in Nebraska. His beloved Arbor Day idea spread quickly, and over the next 50 years, nearly all 50 states would adopt the holiday. The concept was so successful nationwide that, on the 100-year anniversary in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation was founded. This nonprofit, membership organization unites people across the country in the mission to plant more trees. Their mission statement: "to help others understand and use trees as a solution to many of the global issues we face today, including air quality, water quality, a changing climate, deforestation, poverty, and hunger."
Nowadays, over 150 years later, Arbor Day is celebrated in all 50 states, with communities far and wide coming together on this special holiday to reflect on the importance of trees, and working together to plant more. Nationally, the holiday is celebrated on the last Friday in April, but some states have a separate state Arbor Day that occurs earlier or later, depending on the best time for planting in that area.
In Georgia, our state Arbor Day is actually on the third Friday in February!
How Can You Celebrate Arbor Day?
The traditional way to celebrate Arbor Day is by planting a tree! After all, that was the point of the first holiday.
But there are lots of other ways you can celebrate trees this Arbor Day, if planting one isn’t an option for you. Here are just a few:
Help a local organization plant trees in and around the community
Help local organizations pass out saplings to community members
Host (virtual) events to spread awareness about the importance of trees and the benefits of planting them
Donate your time by volunteering at the Botanical Gardens
