a perfect start How to plant a tree for a long, healthy life
Steen Christensen and his babies: redwood and pine seedlings ready to transplant into larger containers.
lorI eanes
WHEn i looKED at my Dirt Diva desk calendar the other day, there wasn’t even a mention of Arbor Day. What gives? Trees are green. Green is good. It’s time we give a shout-out to Arbor Day. And to Jonsteen Tree Company in northern California for its efforts to jumpstart the holiday’s revival!
134 years old, ready for revival The first Arbor Day celebration dates back to April 10, 1872, in Nebraska. J. Sterling Morton, a journalist and nature enthusiast, advocated tree-planting in his articles and editorials. As a member of the state’s Board of Agriculture, he came up with a resolution for the first Arbor Day. Prizes were awarded to counties and individuals for planting the largest number of trees. On that very first Arbor Day, more than one million trees were planted. Since then many other states and countries have passed legislation to observe Arbor Day. In the U.S., the last Friday in April is considered National Arbor Day, though many states celebrate it earlier, in keeping with their local climate. But the holiday clearly has lost momentum in the last couple of generations—have you seen any recent observations of it in your community?
In case you need a reminder of what trees can do: Trees add grace and beauty to any community— helping to create a peaceful, enjoyable, and relaxing landscape. They provide fruit for jams and jellies, maple syrup, and critical substances for pharmaceutical and medicinal purposes. They increase property values and provide shade that can reduce utility bills for air conditioning. And then there’s the carbon factor: According to the U.S. Forest Service,during a 50-year life span, one large tree will generate some $30,000 in oxygen, recycle about $35,000 worth of water, and clean up about
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