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We hear a lot about carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels and how it is contributing to global warming. A way we can help remove carbon from the atmosphere is to plant a carbon storage module which is a clever, but accurate, way to describe a tree.
Trees take in carbon dioxide thus reducing Co2 in the atmosphere. Scientists say that as a general rule about half the weight of a mature tree is in elemental carbon.
Nebraska: a Leader
Nebraska has always led the way in efforts to encourage tree planting. The roots of Arbor Day are firmly anchored in Nebraska where it began in the 19th Century. It has since branched out to every state in the nation and even to other countries.
It is officially observed this year on April 27th but each state actually has its own Arbor Day date depending on the climate. In cold Alaska Arbor Day is the third Monday in May. In warm South Carolina it is the first Friday in December. Most states observe it on various dates during the month of April, including Nebraska where Arbor Day falls on the last Friday in April, which this year is April 27th. Arbor Day in each state is the best day of the year, weather-wise, to plant a tree.
As I travel throughout Nebraska with its many trees, it's hard to realize that back in the Pioneer Days of the mid 1800's when Nebraska was a territory, there were few trees on the dusty prairie. Settlers had to find other materials to build their homes or burn as fuel. They weren't able to enjoy the shade from the sun, break from the wind, or protection from soil erosion that trees provide.
The 135th Observance of Arbor Day
Most Nebraskans know the story of Arbor Day well. One of Nebraska's early settlers was J. Sterling Morton who missed the trees he so loved in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan.
As a newspaper editor and later Secretary of the Nebraska Territory Morton was able to stress the importance of planting trees and in 1872 proposed a tree-planting holiday to be called "Arbor Day". It was estimated that more than one million trees were planted in Nebraska on that first Arbor Day, April 10, 1872.
A Holiday for Future Generations
One of the things I love most about Arbor Day is that it looks forward in time. After all, a tree is a gift for future generations which will enjoy it after it grows to maturity. J. Sterling Morton probably put it best when he wrote, "Arbor Day which has already transplanted itself to every state in the American Union and has even been adopted in foreign lands... is not like other holidays. Each of those reposes on the past, while Arbor Day proposes for the future."
For more information about Arbor Day please visit the website for the National Arbor Day Foundation located in Nebraska City, Nebraska. http://www.arborday.org/
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