What are you doing for Arbor Day? You know…the day about the trees?
Not ringing a bell? Okay, let’s try again. Arbor Day, which New Jersey celebrates on Friday, April 29th, began in 1872 in Nebraska as a way to encourage people to plant more trees to improve the environment. The practice spread to other states and eventually nationwide.
Want to take part this year? Obviously, the best way to celebrate a day about planting trees is to plant some trees. But if you’d like to do more, read on for other suggestions.
Visit an Arboretum
Admire and learn about hundreds of tree species at once, get some fresh air and (location and weather permitting) bring along a picnic lunch. Keep an eye out for the northern red oak; it’s the official state tree. Arboretums and public gardens in New Jersey include Thielke Arboretum in Glen Rock, Van Vleck Gardens in Montclair, George Washington Memorial Arboretum at Washington Crossing State Park and the Willowwood Arboretum in Chester.
Get Trees
If you join the Arbor Day Foundation for $10, you’ll receive 10 tree seedlings with your membership. There are a number of different “tree packages” to choose from, depending on your preference (flowering vs. non-flowering, for instance) and your planting zone. Or you can skip the freebies and the foundation will plant trees for you in a forest where they’re most needed.
Get Trees (Part II)
The New Jersey Tree Recovery Campaign is giving tree seedlings to homeowners and communities to replace the ones lost during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. There are pickup locations in towns throughout the state from April into May; some pickups are being held as part of town park cleanups, environmental festivals or other events. For more info on the campaign, visit NJ Forest Service or Arbor Day Foundation.
Stick to sustainable
Buying products made with sustainably sourced wood ensures that forests aren’t over harvested and there are enough trees left standing for everyone to enjoy. Choose from home décor items such as this state cutout made from sustainable birch wood or go even bigger with bamboo flooring.
Get cleaning
The Arbor Day Foundation suggests picking a public park or downtown area to clean up. Grab some friends and get rid of all the litter you find. Even better: See if you and your group can commit to regularly maintaining the space throughout the year.
Throw a tree party
If you’re feeling artsy and you’ve got a community group or school group to entertain, the Arbor Day Foundation can help you celebrate. Its website offers tree-themed poems to recite (including that one by Joyce Kilmer you’re probably already thinking of), a song to sing (“Trees for America,” originally co-written and performed by John Denver) or a rap song to perform (really!). There’s also a play called “Trees: A Joy Forever,” that tells the story of Arbor Day founder J. Sterling Morton.
Hero (Top) Feature Image: © Dudarev Mikhail / Adobe Stock
Additional Images (in order) Courtesy:
The Willowwood Arboretum / Website
The Arbor Day Foundation / Website
The Arbor Day Foundation / Website