The last Friday in April marks most state celebrations of the greenest day of the year, and it's not Al Gore's birthday. Between the last week of April and the first week of May, most cities in the valley will celebrate Arbor Day by planting trees to beautify their communities.
"I think it's important to remind people that we're in the middle of a desert, and it's really wonderful we have this urban forest that has been planted and cultivated by our predecessors," Provo mayor Lewis Billings said. "Arbor Day is a time to remind everyone of the value and importance of trees and to lend a hand."
Provo's celebration is Saturday at the Provo Municipal Airport. Following a light breakfast and brief program at 9 a.m., city officials will plant 50 trees to beautify the airport. The city's year-round tree-care efforts have earned Provo recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA community for the 24th year in a row. According to Provo city forester Scott Bunker, Provo usually exceeds the foundation's baseline standards for the award.
"Every year we maintain city-owned trees under power lines and in the park system. We also have full-time crews that plant between 1,500 and 2,000 trees every year," Bunker said. "Trees provide so many benefits for a community. A car depreciates in value as soon as you drive it off the lot, but a tree actually increases in value as it gets older."
The Arbor Day Foundation grants Tree City USA status to any city that maintains a tree board or department, institutes a tree care ordinance, spends at least $2 per capita on tree care and holds an Arbor Day celebration. Of the 40 cities in Utah currently recognized by the foundation, Provo's status is one of the longest running. Only Murray and Springville have received the award in more consecutive years (31 and 29). Orem has been recognized 15 years in a row.
The idea for Arbor Day originated in 19th century Nebraska. Then part of the American western frontier, pioneers colonizing the area needed to plant trees to function as windbreakers and keep soil in place. J. Sterling Morton, a native of Detroit, Mich., arrived in the territory in the 1850s and quickly covered his property with trees, plants and flowers. Morton eventually became secretary of the Nebraska Territory and in an 1872 meeting with the state board of agriculture proposed the creation of a tree-planting holiday called "Arbor Day." The first celebration took place April 10 that same year, and according to the Arbor Day Foundation, more than 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska that day. Today most states celebrate Arbor Day the last Friday in April, though some observe the holiday on different dates to coincide with the most favorable conditions for tree planting.
Copyright Brigham Young University 2 May 2008
