Happy Arbor Day!! Plant a Tree, Bushes, Flowers, and Other Greenery.
April 25
In New Hampshire, Arbor Day is observed every year on the last Friday in April.
Unlike most holidays, Arbor Day is future-oriented, as it involves planting a tree and other plant life instead of celebrating a past event.
New Hampshire extends the celebration with Forest Conservation Week, which begins the day after Arbor Day.
HISTORY
1594 Spain: The Mayor of the Spanish village of Mondoñedo (aka Alameda de los Remedios) organized the first documented arbor plantation festival, when they planted lime and horse-chestnut trees. A humble granite marker and a bronze plate recall the event.
1805 Spain: A local priest from the Spanish village of Villanueva de la Sierra arranged the first modern Arbor Day, which supposedly was enthusiastically supported by the entire populace.
1872 Nebraska City, NE USA: Nebraska newspaper editor, politician, & Grover Cleveland’s Secretary of Agriculture, J. Sterling Morton adopted the holiday in Nebraska City, Nebraska. On April 10, 1872, an estimated one million trees were planted in Nebraska.
1883: Chairman of the American Forestry Association, Birdsey Northrop of Connecticut, campaigned for Arbor Day to be nationwide. He spread the holiday concept world-wide when he visited Japan in 1895 and later to Australia, Canada, and Europe.
1886, New Hampshire, USA: Governor Moody Currier proclaimed New Hampshire’s first official Arbor Day on April 29, 1886. He wanted to reforest “cut-over” lands and encouraged the planting of trees and shrubs around homes, along highways, and other public places.
Today every state has an official date for Arbor Day.