Best time to plant a tree is today
Arbor Day highlights the need to plant more trees to keep our planet healthy
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “The creation of a thousand forests is one acorn.” That same opinion was held by Julius Sterling Norton, the man who began Arbor Day back in 1872. Norton was editor of Nebraska’s largest newspaper and was an avid outdoorsman. He thought planting trees in his home state would be a good way to create forests for future generations to enjoy. Nebraskans got behind his tree planting campaign, and over one million trees were planted on that first Arbor Day.
The event proved so popular that Nebraskans continued their Arbor Day tradition by planting even more trees each year. Over time, other states began their own Arbor Day tree plantings. President Nixon proclaimed the last Friday in April as National Arbor Day back in 1970, and it has been a special day observed by all 50 states ever since.
The Pecan Grove Garden Club recently observed Arbor Day by planting a sissoo tree at Fourth Avenue Junior High School and another at Mesquite Elementary School. The club has been planting trees at various schools and parks throughout Yuma in honor of Arbor Day for more than 20 years. If all those trees were grouped together, I believe they would make a very large grove. “Our garden club is a strong believer in sponsoring projects that serve the Yuma community,” said Willene Calvert, a longtime club member. “Planting trees is one way our club can help the environment while also helping beautify Yuma.”
Lois Weinstein, the club’s president, added: “We are always happy to help children understand the importance of protecting our environment. Planting trees at schools is one way we can show students how important trees are to our environment.”
Trees have been called the “lungs of the Earth” because of their ability to remove carbon dioxide and other pollutants from the air and to return oxygen into the air.
At the tree planting ceremony, Mesquite Elementary School students watched as Mia Ordaz, Shion Urashimo and Julieanna Lopez shoveled dirt around the sissoo tree donated by Pecan Grove Garden Club. Music teacher Marissa Troman led the students in a song, and students presented Pecan Grove Garden Club members with artwork depicting trees whose leaves were made from the students’ fingerprints.
“We love our special artwork,” said Betty McEntire, club member, “and appreciate the students’ concern for the environment. The earlier kids understand they need to keep our environment healthy, the better. Hopefully, our tree planting will teach them how to plant a tree and that knowledge will be put to good use when they are older and plant trees in their own yards.”
Mesquite’s principal, Karen Burns, added: “The more trees we have on our playground, the better. Their shade is appreciated by all our students and teachers, and they make our school look beautiful. You can never have too many trees.”
As an old Chinese proverb says, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, and the next best time is now.”
Arbor Day reminds us how important trees are to our environment. Hopefully, lots of trees were planted in people’s yards, at schools, parks and around local businesses. If you didn’t plant a tree on Arbor Day, today is the next best time to plant one.
Happy gardening.