Linden announces Tree City Certification
Several showed up in honor of Arbor Day at Linden City Park in honor of the special day. At the event councilwoman, Mary Dowd made the Arbor Day Proclamation. Michael Riley planted a tree in honor of the official Tree City Certification and Lacy Johnson, L-K FFA president told about the history of Arbor Day.
Historically, the Spanish village of Mondoñedo held the first documented arbor plantation festival in the world organized by its mayor in 1594. The place remains Alameda de los Remedios and it is still planted with lime and horse-chestnut trees. A humble granite marker and a bronze plate recall the event. Additionally, the small Spanish village of Villanueva de la Sierra held the first modern Arbor Day, an initiative launched in 1805 by the local priest with the enthusiastic support of the entire population.
“While Napoleon was ravaging Europe with his ambition in this village in the Sierra de Gata lived a priest, don Juan Abern Samtrés, which, according to the chronicles, “convinced of the importance of trees for health, hygiene, decoration, nature, environment, and customs, decides to plant trees and give a festive air. The festival began on Carnival Tuesday with the ringing of two bells of the church, and the Middle and the Big. After the Mass, and even coated with church ornaments, don Juan, accompanied by clergies, teachers, and a large number of neighbors, planted the first tree, a poplar, in the place known as Valley of the Ejido. Tree plantations continued by Arroyada and Fuente de la Mora. Afterward, there was a feast and did not miss the dance. The party and plantations lasted three days. He drafted a manifesto in defense of the trees that was sent to surrounding towns to spread the love and respect for nature, and also he advised making tree plantations in their localities.”
In the United States, “the first American Arbor Day was originated by J. Sterling Morton of Nebraska City, Nebraska, at an annual meeting of the Nebraska State board of agriculture held in Lincoln.[2] On April 10, 1872, an estimated one million trees were planted in Nebraska.
“Birdsey Northrop of Connecticut was responsible for globalizing the idea when he visited Japan in 1883 and delivered his Arbor Day and Village Improvement message. In that same year, the American Forestry Association made Northrop the Chairman of the committee to campaign for Arbor Day nationwide. He also brought his enthusiasm for Arbor Day to Australia, Canada, and Europe.”
In 1906, Arbor Day got wider recognition when “Pennsylvania conservationist Major Israel McCreight of DuBois, Pennsylvania, argued that President Theodore Roosevelt’s conservation speeches were limited to businessmen in the lumber industry and recommended a campaign of youth education and a national policy on conservation education. McCreight urged Roosevelt to make a public statement to schoolchildren about trees and the destruction of American forests. Conservationist Gifford Pinchot, Chief of the United States Forest Service, embraced McCreight’s recommendations and asked the President to speak to the public school children of the United States about conservation. On April 15, 1907, Roosevelt issued an “Arbor Day Proclamation to the School Children of the United States”[6] about the importance of trees and that forestry deserves to be taught in U.S. schools. Pinchot wrote McCreight, “we shall all be indebted to you for having made the suggestion.”
The Arbor Day Foundation celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. “In the 50 years since we began, we’ve planted nearly 500 million trees. Now, we’re going to do it again in just 5 years. We deliberately chose a tough goal to meet the tough challenges of our time. And we can do it with a vast network of partners that allow us to scale like no one else.