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Celebrate Arbor Day A Guide For Schools

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The History of Arbor Day would find a ready market. He began plant- Arbor Day’s origins began on the treeless plains ing around his farm and urged his neighbors of . It started as an idea and a dream of to do the same. When he became a member of the one man that grew into a reality that has spread state board of agriculture, he seized the opportunity nationwide. The father of Arbor Day was Julius to propose that a special day be set aside on which Sterling Morton (1832-1902). He and his wife to encourage the planting of trees statewide. Prizes settled in Nebraska in 1855 where he became editor would be awarded to the county agricultural society of the Nebraska City News. Using his background and to the individual who planted the largest num- in agriculture, he introduced a ber of trees. His dream not only number of modern agricultural became a reality, it surpassed all advancements through editori- his expectations. On that first als and features in his paper. He Arbor Day, 10, 1872, over a became actively involved in the million trees where planted! area's politics and served in the Nebraska territorial legislature, Arbor Day was again celebrated in was secretary of the territory and 1884. In 1885, a law was enacted by the for a time served as acting territorial state legislature making Arbor Day an an- governor. During this time he contin- nual legal to be celebrated on April ued to develop new farming technolo- 22, which was Morton’s birthday. Within gies and advocated them through his the first 16 years over 350 million trees were journalism. planted in Nebraska, and today the state has a national covering 200,000 acres. Nebraska After Nebraska gained statehood in 1867, adopted the nickname, the " Planter State" Morton was appointed to the State Board in 1895, although now it is more commonly of Agriculture. He served as secretary of called the "Corn Husker State." agriculture under President Grover Cleve- land and was president of the American Within three years after Nebraska pro- Association from 1893-1897. claimed the first Arbor Day, Kansas, Tennessee and Minnesota followed Morton believed that the Nebraska suit. Ohio’s first observance was in prairie would greatly benefit from 1882 and was timed to coincide the planting of trees. Trees with meetings in Cincinnati of would shade and bind its the American Forestry As- soil and reduce the rate of sociation and the American soil evaporation and its Forestry Congress. Cincin- vulnerability to the wind. nati’s schools were closed A badly needed source of for the day, and thousands of children took part in the festivities that included conservation groups also plant trees in cooperation a parade, brass bands, banners, a 13-gun salute, with state conservation or forestry officials. Trees speeches, poetry recitations and refreshments. be planted on the grounds of public buildings, along highways, in parks or on private property. In 1883, the American Forestry Congress adopted a Each year on national Arbor Day the President or resolution that called for all schools throughout the First Lady plants a special tree on the White House country to observe Arbor Day. Two years later, the grounds. National Education Association adopted a similar resolution. Planting trees is just a starting point. A more im- portant aspect of Arbor Day is the opportunity to In 1970, President Nixon, under the terms of a educate the public about the value and importance joint congressional measure, issued a proclamation of trees’ ecological and economic roles. Public that designated the last Friday in April as National awareness and understanding is central to wise re- Arbor Day and called upon the people in the U.S. source use. Trees are one of our most vital resources. to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies. All There are a variety of activities that can take place on the 50 states, Puerto Rico and some U.S. territories Arbor Day and before, especially in our schools. have since passed legislation adopting Arbor Day, which is celebrated on a date appropriate for tree Ideas for School Celebrations of planting in their region. Arbor Day Arbor Day in Alaska Schoolwide Activities In Alaska, Arbor Day was first established by state • Hold an all-school assembly using an Arbor Day law in 1966. In 1973, the law was amended to theme. change the date Arbor Day is celebrated from the • Plant trees on school grounds and learn how to first to the third Monday in May. maintain them. Arbor Day Celebrations in the U.S. • Sponsor poster, poetry, essay or speech contests. • Hold a classroom door decoration contest. The most widespread observance of Arbor Day • Offer prizes to the best decorated classrooms in the is in public schools under the and bulletin boards. auspices of individual state laws. Activities often in- • Attend or participate in local cer- clude pageants, displays, talks on the value of trees emonies. and tree planting projects. Civic organizations, ser- • Support a neighborhood improvement project, vice clubs, youth groups, sports organizations and such as reclaiming a vacant lot or making a park. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE Science STATE OF ALASKA: • Plant and cultivate tree seeds. *Section 1. AS41.15 is amended to read: • Study the ecosystem of one particular tree. Sec. 41.15.400. OBSERVANCE OF ARBOR • Take a nature walk and learn to identify local DAY. To increase public awareness of the vital trees by sight, touch and smell. importance of the conservation and propagation • Display photos and samples of local trees, of trees and to the everyday life of the citizens of Alaska, the third Monday in May of leaves, bark, , seeds, cones or flowers. each year is designated “Arbor Day.” It shall be • Study a tree’s structure, function and life history. observed by appropriate school assemblies and • Try counting the annual rings on a piece of a programs and may be the occasion for other tree. suitable observances and exercises by civic • Study the classification of trees — broadleaf, groups and the public in general. needleleaf, evergreen and deciduous. Learn about their differing needs and geographic dis- • Make rubbings of tree bark, leaves or tribution. cross sections. • Study plant succession within your local area or • Make things out of cones. with your state. English • Learn how paper is made. Visit a pulp mill. • Have students classify tree samples using a key, • Write poems, essays, short or have them construct their own key. stories or plays using trees as a • Draw a food web surrounding a particular tree. theme. • Make a display of the different kinds of wood in • Read poems, essays, short stories or your area. plays having trees as a theme. • Visit a project. Take part in such a • Write descriptions of trees from dif- project. ferent perspectives, such as a farmer, a lumberman, a , a preserva- Social Studies tionist, a land developer, a blind per- • Study or read the history of Arbor Day. son, an insect, a tree-dwelling bird • Correlate the history of the U.S. to one tree’s or mammal, a desert dweller seeing growth rings. his first large tree or a forest-dwelling • Study the role of the timber industry in eco- aborigine. nomics. Vocational • Study the availability of wood to home styles around the world — log, plank, post and beam, • Study the different types of wood —hard or soft framework for mud, etc. — and the best uses for each. • Study the current impact of agriculture on the • Make something out of wood using its grain to world’s forests. the best advantage. • Study the distribution of the world’s forests. • Visit a or lumber yard and learn about • Study the changing forest distribution in the the production and storage of wood products. U.S. from 1607 to the present. • Learn about the different ways to finish wood. • Learn about the different types of meth- • Visit a logging operation. ods and the controversies surrounding them Home Economics or study the effect of browsing animal herds on • Find out about spices and other foods along tree cover. with the trees that produce them. • Look at firewood use and how it has affected • Study fabrics and their plant sources. agriculture and air quality. • Made a food using as many “tree derived” ingre- • Examine native culture in your area for the use dients as possible, such as apples, cocoa, coco- of local wood in homes, art and utensils. nut, cinnamon or dates. Art • Examine wood burning as a source of home • Make a poster advertising Arbor Day. heat. What is the type of wood most suitable for • Paint or draw trees. burning? Study effective stove designs. Study • Make a collage with trees as the theme. costs and sources of . • Do a project using parts of trees such as bark, leaves and seeds. Physical Education • Make mobiles from tree parts or from wood. • Play tree tag. When the person who is IT calls • Make coasters or necklaces out of tree cross sec- out the name of a tree, all children must run to a tions. branch or tree of that type. If a person is caught • Make wreaths and sachets using leaves, branch- before reaching a safe spot, that person becomes es and needles. IT. • Play a game. Side one chases side two whenever a true statement about a tree is spoken, and side two chases side one when a false statement is said. Those tagged must join the other side or sit out the rest of the game. • Try interpretive dancing, pretending to be a certain type of tree, such as a tall redwood, a weeping willow, a tree in a violent storm, a tree in a parched desert that awakens to rain or a tree being cut down. Mathematics • Compute timber volume in board feet and cal- culate how many houses could be built from a • The baobab of Africa has a trunk so large (25 certain amount. feet in diameter) that hollow trees are often used • Learn what units of measurements are used by for houses. carpenters and other people in the construction • The banyan tree extends trunk-like roots from industry. Work out problems using these units. its branches and in time may cover acres of • Use trees as the subject for the day’s math prob- ground. lems. • The ombu of Argentina is so hardy that it can Some Interesting Facts about Trees survive insects, storms and heat. Its wood is so • The tallest tree in the world is a California Red- moist it won’t burn and so spongy it can’t be cut wood measuring 379.1 feet. down. • The thickest tree is a Montezuma bald cypress • The largest seed is from the coco-de-mer (a near Tule, Oxaca, Mexico that is 40 feet in diam- double coconut palm) of the Seychelles Islands eter. and weighs up to 50 pounds. • The most massive living thing on earth is the • A large elm tree can have over 6 million leaves. General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National • More that 40 billion board feet of lumber is cut Park. It is 272 feet tall and has a trunk 36 feet each year, enough to build a boardwalk 30 feet wide. It dates from 1,000 B.C. wide and 1 inch thick to the moon. • The oldest tree is a 9,550-year-old spruce in the • The only living and growing part of a tree trunk Dalarna province in Sweden. is a narrow band of cells toward the outer edge • The traveler’s tree in Madagascar stores a pint called the cambium. The majority of the trunk of water inside the base of each of its long leaf is made of dead cells called xylem that compose stalks. myriads of hollow water conducting tubes.

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Valerie Barber, Forestry Resource Specialist, Natural Resources and Community Development. Originally prepared by Ritchie Musick, former high school science teacher. America’s Arctic University Published by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture.The University of Alaska Fairbanks is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and educational institution. ©2011 University of Alaska Fairbanks. 2-84/RM/12-11 Revised 2011