Chances are you haven't asked yourself that, but you might think about it, especially if you have children.
The Holden Arboretum in Kirtland is celebrating Arbor Day weekend -- Friday-Sunday, April 26-28 -- with free admission for the whole family. Each day, the first 250 guests (one per family) will receive a tree seedling to plant. The seedlings are Prunus americana, or American plum. The tree blooms white flowers in early spring, grows edible fruit, likes dry soil and attracts birds.
The special weekend will include family-friendly activities such as tree-climbing demonstrations, Great Lakes Timber lumberjack shows, crafts, food and more.
The first Arbor Day was April 10, 1872, in Nebraska. Morton (1832-1902) was a Nebraska journalist and politician originally from Michigan. He focused on improving agricultural techniques in Nebraska and throughout the United States when he served as President Grover Cleveland's secretary of agriculture. But Arbor Day is his most notable legacy.
Morton felt that Nebraska's landscape and economy would benefit from the wide-scale planting of trees. He set an example by planting orchards, shade trees and wind breaks on his own farm, and he urged his neighbors to follow suit. His real opportunity arrived when he became a member of Nebraska's state board of agriculture. He proposed that a special day be set aside dedicated to tree planting and increasing awareness of the importance of trees.
Nebraska's first Arbor Day was a success. More than 1 million trees were planted. A second Arbor Day took place in 1884, and Nebraska made it an annual legal holiday in 1885, using April 22 to coincide with Morton's birthday.
In the years following that first Arbor Day, Morton's idea spread beyond Nebraska, with Kansas, Tennessee, Minnesota and Ohio all proclaiming their own Arbor Days. Today all 50 states celebrate Arbor Day, although the dates may vary in keeping with the local climate. Arbor Day is also celebrated in other parts of the world.
Vicki McDonald, marketing and public relations specialist at Holden, says Arbor Day is good day for homeowners to inspect trees on their property for health problems. Look for broken branches and signs of disease of insect infestation.
Homeowners might also celebrate by planting a tree, she says. Be sure you research growing conditions and know how tall and wide the tree will become at maturity.
Planting trees is important because, in the words of Morton, "Other holidays repose upon the past; Arbor Day proposes for the future."