Photo Credit: Olivia Witthun, Wisconsin DNR
Don’t think of Arbor Day as the end of Forest Appreciation Week, think of it as the beginning of tree planting season! Arbor Day is a celebration rooted in a simple but powerful idea that planting trees is an investment in the future.
The first Arbor Day started as a community effort to restore trees in Nebraska. The secretary of the Nebraska Territory at the time, J. Sterling Morton, led this effort, and on April 10, 1872, the first official Arbor Day was celebrated. The success of the first tree-planting holiday spread quickly, and today, it is observed in all 50 states and in many countries around the world. The Arbor Day Foundation estimates tens of millions of trees are planted each year in honor of Arbor Day.
Wisconsin embraced the nation-wide call to plant trees and has celebrated Arbor Day on the last Friday in April since 1883. In recent years, the state has broadened its efforts to raise awareness of just how vital trees are to the environment, community health and the economy by expanding the celebration to an entire week. Through Forest Appreciation Week, which includes Earth Day and culminates with Arbor Day each year, the state encourages schools, municipalities and local organizations to highlight the benefits of urban and rural forests. To further this purpose, the DNR provides free tree seedlings to every fourth-grade student in the state as well as encouraging staff to participate in local Arbor Day events.
Learn More
- The National Arbor Day Foundation site provides information on the history of Arbor Day, youth education resources and more.
Contribute To Wisconsin’s Trillion Trees Pledge
- Landowners and homeowners can contribute to Wisconsin’s Trillion Tree Pledge with a goal of planting 1 million trees in Wisconsin’s cities and villages by 2030. Complete the Wisconsin Tree Planting Survey to have your trees counted.
- Learn the best planting methods to give your tree the greatest chance for success. Check out the DNR Tree Planting Resources webpage for instructions on how to plant a tree properly.
- Treesaregood.org includes a tree owner information page with printable brochures and a tree owner’s manual.
- The Minnesota DNR has eye-catching, printable planting brochures and videos available on their website.
- Check out the Wisconsin Urban Tree Key. This information sheet identifies the 64 most commonly found trees in Wisconsin communities. Additional tree identification tools can be found on the DNR Tree Identification webpage.
- Visit the DNR Arbor Day webpage to find fun activities to do with your family or share with your community. The website includes printable activity pages, brochures and links to additional resources.
- The Wisconsin State Park System also celebrates Arbor Day with tree-planting events, hikes and tree talks at state parks, forests and recreation areas. Check out the DNR Events Calendar to find an event at a property near you.