Arbor Day

Arbor Day is Friday, April 29, 2016!

The City of Hudson celebrates each Arbor Day at a school in Hudson. This year, the program will be held at Hudson Montessori School.

Arbor Day is a national holiday created to recognize the importance of trees. It is celebrated every year on the last Friday in April. The most common way people celebrate is to get together in groups to plant trees.

The day was the brainchild of Julius Sterling Morton, a Nebraskan journalist who later became the U.S. Agriculture Secretary under President Grover Cleveland. Morton was an enthusiastic promoter of tree planting, and had long championed the idea of a day dedicated to planting trees.

Arbor Day was first celebrated in Nebraska on April 10, 1874, following a proclamation by Gov. Robert W. Furnas. In less than a decade, the idea for the holiday caught on in other states and by 1882, its observance became a national event. Nebraska made Arbor Day a legal holiday in 1885, moving it to April 22, Morton’s birthday. An estimated one million trees were planted during the first Arbor Day.

Here are some suggestions on how to celebrate the day, courtesy of the Arbor Day Foundation:

Celebrate Arbor Day in a personal way by planting a tree yourself. Plant trees on your own property, or volunteer with your local government agency to plant or care for trees on public land in your area.
Read a book about trees, and learn to identify trees in your yard and neighborhood.
Enjoy the outdoors. Visit a local park or take a nature hike, taking care to notice the different tree varieties you encounter. Bring along a field guide to help with identification.
Attend a class on tree and plant care.
Volunteer with the Hudson Tree Commission to celebrate Arbor Day at one the Hudson schools. The Mayor of Hudson officially proclaims Arbor Day to the assembled students. A special tree is planted and proper planting techniques explained. Hudson Public Power shows students why wires near trees are dangerous! Area high schools students from the Kent Roosevelt Urban Forestry Program provide fun and activities for the students.

From the original 1838 Town of Hudson Tree Ordinance to today, Hudson continues a legacy of trees for future generations. Come on out the last Friday of April and celebrate Arbor Day with the next generation of students and their trees!