Plant a Tree this Arbor Day! The Festival of Planting

Arbor day celebrates the planting, upkeep and preservation of trees. Its history has strong roots that branched out across multiple nations. One of the first modern celebrations was launched in 1805 in the Spanish village of Villanueva de la Sierra by a priest named Don Juan Abern Samtrés who “convinced of the importance of trees… decides to plant trees and give a festive air”. However, the popularization of Arbor Day has another origin. At the end of the 19th century, a journalist by the name of Julius Sterling Morton and his wife moved to Nebraska City where they planted a wide variety of trees and shrubs in what was primarily a flat stretch of desolate plain. Morton soon became editor of Nebraska’s finest newspaper, which became a perfect platform to spread agricultural information and his enthusiasm for trees. With the seeds of interest already planted in the minds of the Nebraskans, the first Arbor Day was held on April 10, 1872. It was a success with the planting of approximately 1 million trees. Today, many countries around the world celebrate Arbor Day which varies depending on the best time of year to plant trees.