The Arbor Day Foundation loves trees. More specifically, the nonprofit loves planting the right trees in the right places.
Although the Arbor Day Foundation is based out of Lincoln, it works with hundreds of cities and towns to enhance tree canopies as well as restore and replant trees in forest lands where natural disasters have occurred.
“We inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees,” said Dan Lambe, the Arbor Day Foundation CEO.
The organization was founded in 1972 on the 100th anniversary of Arbor Day, which is celebrated on the last Friday in April. Since its inception, more than 500 million trees have been planted across America and in dozens of other countries.
“The Arbor Day Foundation has a vast network of tree-planting collaborators and partners that help to guide us to make sure we’re planting the right tree in the right place,” Lambe said.
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To do so, Lambe said Arbor Day staff members must ask themselves, “How can we help make sure that the trees we’re planting are making the greatest difference?”
For the past three years, the foundation has been enhancing its efforts by using a geographic information system with partners from NatureQuant. The GIS map displays satellite imagery to show an area’s deprivation of nature along with layers of socioeconomic data such as income, education, employment and housing shortages.
Each U.S. Census Tract is given a Nature Priority Index score from one to 10. The foundation emphasizes its efforts on scores of six and higher, which indicate areas are more deprived of nature.
“We’re emphasizing neighborhoods that have less tree canopy, but we still plant in all neighborhoods,” Lambe said.
By utilizing the technology, Lambe said the foundation is able to emphasize planting to provide more shade, health benefits and assist with stormwater management.
“This data is a new way for us to be even smarter and efficient in making the greatest impact we can with the trees we plant,” Lambe said.
The foundation also overlays a map of its trusted planting partners across the country. In Lincoln, the highest scores are located in the downtown area, and Lincoln Parks and Recreation is primarily responsible for planting locally.
Lambe said the map is simply the first step for the foundation.
“We can’t just simply identify where trees are needed and then show up to plant the trees,” he said. “We need to make sure that those neighborhoods and those communities want the trees and what kinds of trees they want.”
The foundation must determine what type of trees are best for each area to appropriately diversify the tree species to create a healthy and sustainable tree canopy. Connections with local partners also have to be built to earn trust and garner excitement prior to planting the trees.
“Our partners all around the country help us decide when the right time is to plant, what trees are the best to plant, and where we should plant those trees,” Lambe said.
Not only do climate zones play a factor in what tree species to plant, neighborhoods also have to decide if they want the trees to provide shade, flowers, fruits or other key characteristics.
Last year, the foundation worked with partners across the country to plant 1.7 million trees in cities and communities. It also planted millions of trees to help in reforestation efforts, adding up to nearly 50 million trees.
“The Arbor Day Foundation has grown to become a global leader in forestry and we continue to be remarkably proud of the fact that we’re based here in the home of Arbor Day,” Lambe said.
In Lincoln, more than 550 trees have been planted in the past five years, with an additional 1,400 distributed throughout the city.
On Sunday, from 12:30-3:30 p.m., the Arbor Day Foundation will host its second Arbor Day LNK event at Antelope Park to celebrate the holiday. The event is open to the public and will include food trucks, interactive activities, family-friendly exercise classes and live music.
Lambe said the foundation will also be giving away 150 trees of varying species and sizes on a first-come, first-served basis.
“Trees bring so many benefits to our neighborhoods, to our forest lands, from shading our homes and reducing extreme heat, helping to stop and slow stormwater runoff and flooding, and helping to pull carbon from the air,” Lambe said. “The list of reasons why tree planting is important goes on forever, and Arbor Day is a unique moment to celebrate the importance of trees.”
What is Arbor Day? Here's the meaning behind day for trees
It literally means tree day
The Latin word for tree is arbor. True to its name, Arbor Day celebrates the preservation and planting of trees.
Arbor Day started in Nebraska
Nebraska was the first U.S. state in the US to observe it as a formal holiday in 1872. However, the Arbor Day Foundation, based in Nebraska, says "tree planting festivals are as old as civilization."
In 1872, Julius Sterling Morton, a newspaper editor and former U.S. secretary of agriculture, submitted a resolution to Nebraska's State Board of Agriculture to set aside one day dedicated to planting trees. After the board passed the resolution, more than one million trees were planted on the first official celebration of the day on April 10, 1872.
In 1885, Nebraska moved the holiday to April 22 in honor of Morton's birthday. The event eventually spread to all 50 states and other countries, including Australia, Brazil and Canada.
Nixon recognized it as a holiday
In 1972, former President Richard Nixon declared National Arbor Day to be celebrated on the last Friday in April. However, some states have designated different dates to ensure the trees are planted at the best time for growth.
"The planting of trees is an action that yields a long-range benefit on generations to come," Nixon, who created the Environmental Protection Agency, wrote in his proclamation. "Arbor Day uniquely symbolizes the truth that the earth belongs to every generation, not just ours."
Trees offer tons of benefits
Morton and his wife sought to plant trees in Nebraska to increase the amount of shade from the hot prairie sun. Trees also served as windbreaks, fuel and building materials.
Today, trees provide wildlife habitat, erosion control and natural beauty, the Arbor Day Foundation says.
In addition, they offer huge benefits when it comes to absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide, which is the main driver of climate change.