Tree Time!

Quick—what’s the week of March 7-14? No, it’s not Spring break. It’s California’s week to celebrate Arbor Day. Here’s another brain teaser: what’s the state tree for California? Give up? It’s the California Redwood. Didn’t get either question right? Don’t feel bad. Unlike its better known cousin Earth Day, Arbor Day isn’t played up as much.

Arbor Day is a national celebration of trees. It was fellow journalist, J. Sterling Morton, editor of Nebraska’s first newspaper whom first proposed this “tree-planting holiday.” Morton moved to the Nebraska Territory in the 1854. His love of nature and the lack of trees in his area were his motivation to have one day when people can celebrate and plant trees. According to the Arbor Day Foundation Web site, “trees were needed as windbreaks to keep soil in place, for fuel and building materials, and for shade from the hot sun.” The first Arbor Day was held on April 10, 1872. Morton organized parades and prizes for citizens of Nebraska to join in his quest and appreciation of trees.

The Arbor Day Foundation also has a long list of cities, part of the Tree City USA program. The program “provides direction, technical assistance, public attention, and national recognition for urban and community forestry programs” to these cities. There are more than100 cities in California that are part of Tree City, USA including La Verne, Pomona and West Covina.

On the national calendar, April 25 is the day for Arbor Day. But most calendars don’t mention Arbor Day. I checked 5 calendars just to find the exact date. A complete list can be found on the organization’s Web site along with the date for Arbor Day celebrated in each state.

Over spring break in honor of Arbor Day I did my part to protect of all Earth’s living things by not getting either paper of plastic bags for my purchases. For the whole week I brought my own canvas bag into stores. And even when I forgot a bag, I still didn’t get a disposable plastic bag. The cashier at Target gave a funny look when she asked more than once if I was sure I didn’t want a plastic bag. No thanks. I don’t care how awkwardly shaped my items were, my two hands were perfectly capable of carrying three items to the car without the help of a plastic bag.

Recently I took a trip to the Los Angeles Zoo and watched the World of Birds show. While the tricks and dives of the birds were amazing, the hostess let us know that many of these animals are from the rainforest and it’s important to help conserve the rainforest in order to help save the habitat of these birds. She said that a football field of trees is being deforested every second. Here I’m thinking about what I can do in my hometown and I never thought about trees in other areas of the world.

Arbor Day is just as important as Earth Day because we need trees in our lives for their fruit, oxygen, shade and much more. If you’re planning on planting a tree I would suggest planting a Native California tree because it won’t need as much attention as other trees. If you don’t have enough space or time for a tree, try a small vegetable garden. Osh is selling vegetable plants at the price of two for one.

For more information about Arbor Day and the Arbor Day Foundation visit www.arborday.org