Arborist Day (Arborist Day)
Description:
One of the first organizers is D. Sterling Morton, administrator of the state of Nebraska in the northern United States, who later held the post of Minister of Agriculture. It is said that he adopted and developed this custom from the Aztec tribe, who planted trees on the birthday of their children.
In 1874, on the first Forest Day, more than 12 million trees were planted in Nebraska. Two decades later, 350 million seedlings were already growing there.
Then the festival of arboretum spread to the neighboring states of Iowa, Kansas, Michigan and Ohio, and after a while covered the whole country.
The Union for the Protection of Trees was organized among schoolchildren. For folk schools began to arrange spring holidays, timed the second Wednesday in April, and then stopped on April 21.
Children’s organizations, the New York Society of Kindergartens and House Plants are connected to the festival. Its leaders distribute flower seedlings to the children on Forest Day, and then in the fall they award those who have grown the best flower.
The purpose of the holiday is to promote the planting of trees, afforestation of territories and decoration of native places. If you have planted a tree, you have celebrated the day.
By the beginning of the 20th century, Forest Day is actively held in Europe: Germany, India, China, Korea, Yugoslavia, etc.
To this day, some celebrate this holiday on the last Friday of April, others - as Earth Day on April 22, the birthday of John Morton.
Interesting fact: The Foundation for the Spring Festival of Arboretum conducted a survey in America on which tree should be recognized as national. Trees that have already been declared “state” in different states of the country were put up for the competition, and there are trees in almost all 50 states.
The competition was won by the oak, a symbol of the six states and the Federal District of Columbia, where Washington is located.