OKLAHOMA OUTSIDE
Arbor Day’s roots run deep in Oklahoma By Allan Storjohann ave you ever gone out and just looked at a large, stately tree? Remarkable how they make you feel, isn’t it? Even though they have to live their whole lives in one place, they still make a difference for everything and everyone that lives nearby. Some hold the soil, others block the wind, and they all beautify our neighborhoods. Trees are investments in our future. J. Sterling Morton once said, “Other holidays repose upon the past. Arbor Day proposes for the future.” As it turns out, nothing could have been truer for this pioneer journalist as he surveyed the treeless plains of Nebraska more than 150 years ago. J. Sterling Morton and his wife moved from Detroit to the Nebraska Territory in 1854. A skilled writer and the editor of Nebraska’s first newspaper, Morton promoted agriculture and the necessity of planting trees in his articles and editorials. When he became the secretary of the Nebraska territory, he proposed an annual tree-planting holiday. After convincing the new governor that trees were crucial to the state, Morton set a date for the celebration and suggested it be called Arbor Day. The Nebraska State Board of Agriculture arranged to give out prizes to the farmers who planted the most trees, and it is estimated that on that first Arbor Day, April 10,
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10 OKLAHOMA LIVING
1872, over 1 million trees were planted statewide. In the following years, many other states passed legislation to observe their own tree-planting holiday. Arbor Day is most commonly observed on the last Friday in April, but some states, like Oklahoma, have designated Arbor Day earlier in the year, to take advantage of better planting conditions. The first observance of Arbor Day in Oklahoma occurred in 1901, six years before statehood. Since that time, millions of trees have been planted throughout our state. As Oklahoma struggled with wind erosion during the 1930s, the Oklahoma Forestry Service established nurseries to grow and supply thousands of
tree seedlings for farmers to plant as windbreaks. Since 1925, the Oklahoma Forestry Commission has worked to improve our forests by providing assistance and information. In 1982, Oklahoma legislators expanded our statewide observance of Arbor Day to a full week— and established Arbor Week in Oklahoma as the last full week in March. This month, why not consider where you might plant one or more trees on your property? Look at how much good the trees have done for Oklahoma’s environment over the past 109 years, creating and renewing forest habitats all across our state! Some of those trees are still with us today, their great beauty and grandeur a living testament to the wisdom and vision of our forefathers. Check with your local nursery or garden center as the newly harvested trees are delivered this month. For larger areas, or for windrows or habitat restoration projects, you can order tree seedlings from the Oklahoma Forest Regeneration Center located in Goldsby. Ordering information is available online at www.forestry.ok.gov. The ultimate resource for more information about tree planting and care is the National Arbor Day Foundation: www.arborday.org. OL