JACKSON, Wyo. — On, Monday, April 15, Mayor Morton Levinson released a proclamation urging all citizens to celebrate Arbor Day, and to plant trees and support efforts to protect the valley’s trees and woodlands for future generations.
The Mayor proclaimed Friday, April 26 to be the official day to celebrate the holiday.
According to the Town of Jackson, in 1872, the Nebraska Board of Agriculture established a special day to be set aside for the planting of trees, and the holiday was first observed with the planting of more than a million trees in Nebraska.
Many other states also passed legislation to observe Arbor Day each year. By 1920, more than 45 states and territories were celebrating Arbor Day. The tree planting tradition became prominent in schools across the nation in 1882, with schoolchildren learning about the importance of trees as well as receiving a tree to plant in their yard, according to the Arbor Day Foundation.
Today, Arbor Day is celebrated in all 50 states. For people all over the world, trees are a renewable resource, providing paper, wood for fuel and countless other wood products.
Mayor Morton Levinson stated in the Town’s proclamation, “Trees in our city increase property values, enhance the economic vitality of business areas and beautify our community, and trees — wherever they are planted — are a source of joy and spiritual renewal.”
According to the Town’s proclamation, trees can be a solution to combating climate change by reducing the erosion of topsoil by wind and water, cutting heating and cooling costs, moderating the temperature, cleaning the air, producing life-giving oxygen and providing habitat for wildlife.
Arbor Day is typically observed nationally on the last Friday in April, which this year falls on April 26. However, cities and towns across the state choose their own dates to celebrate locally. According to the Wyoming State Forestry Division, in 1888, before Wyoming was even a state, the territorial legislature passed the Arbor Day Law. On April 27, Arbor Day was celebrated in Cheyenne and across the territory. Nowadays, Wyoming State Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Monday in April, which is April 29.
Which ever day a community decides to celebrate Arbor Day, it is a day to plant trees and plan educational events to promote the benefits of trees.
