Nationally, Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday in April, though the observance varies from state to state depending on the best time to plant and tend trees.
Colorado’s Arbor Day was actually observed one week ago. In sunny Florida, the date is the third Friday in January; in Alaska, it is the third Monday in May. An internationally recognized observation, countries in the southern hemisphere celebrate Arbor Day when we are preparing for winter.
Arbor Day traces its roots to Spain, where the first documented tree planting festival was held in 1594 in the village of Remedios. The residents planted horse chestnut and lime trees to start a tradition that continues today.
The modern American Arbor Day was begun by J. Sterling Morton, a newspaper editor in Nebraska City, Neb., who sorely missed the lush forests of his former state of Michigan. An advocate of tree planting on the prairie to provide windbreaks, fruit, building material and shade – and to hold the soil – Morton promoted the first observance on April 10, 1872, when an estimated 1 million seedlings were planted across the state. Ten years later, the Arbor Day idea had spread nationwide.
If Durango has a Morton equivalent, it may be Peter Schertz of Maria’s Bookstore. He is “a big tree advocate who tries to plant annually with a big project” for Arbor Day.
With assists from grants from The Colorado Tree Foundation and from local businesses like Durango Nursery, the projects have included tree plantings at several local schools.
“The school projects are great,” he said. “They are so in need of trees and landscaping, but that’s not a high priority when they need textbooks or a repair on the roof. The best part is that so many people are willing to help out.”
Schertz and the local volunteers who assist him are responsible for the “Trees are the answer” bumper stickers prevalent on local vehicles, and all of them are proud that Durango has earned “Tree City USA” status from the Arbor Day Foundation for 37 years running.
On April 21, Schertz was on hand for Durango’s Arbor Day celebration at the Community Recreation center, where 550 tree seedlings were given away. On Thursday, a plan to plant nine trees on the Mountain Middle School campus was temporarily delayed by rain and mud, but will be completed soon.
He is also involved in the gift the Durango High School graduating class of 2017 is leaving to the school: five red oak trees to be planted along the school’s main entryway on May 12, effectively extending our Arbor Day celebration for three weeks.
But don’t think you have missed out on your chance to celebrate Arbor Day. In honor of the holiday, the San Juan National Forest is promoting their Plant-A-Tree program. For a donation, you can receive up to 10 ponderosa pine seedlings (first come, first served) at the agency’s offices in Durango, Dolores, Bayfield and Pagosa Springs. There is no donation minimum, and the agency asks only that the seedlings by kept cool and planted within a week. Instructions on how to plant and care for them is included.
What better way to celebrate spring? Or to take on the responsibility delegated to us by Morton himself, because “each generation,” he said, “takes the earth as trustees.”
