Coast redwoods in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, California

© Gallery Stoc

A tree-mendous holiday. Happy Arbor Day!

A Chinese proverb advises, ‘The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.’ That’s especially true today. It’s National Arbor Day in the US and we’re featuring this dramatic photo of coast redwoods to remind you of the incredible power and importance of trees. The very first recorded Arbor Day took place in 1594 in the little village of Mondoñedo in Spain, organized by its mayor. The first US Arbor Day was observed in Nebraska City, Nebraska, on April 10, 1872. It was organized by journalist and politician Julius Sterling Morton, who’d moved to Nebraska from Michigan, and called his adopted state a ‘treeless prairie.’ He rallied celebrants at that first US Arbor Day to plant an estimated 1 million trees.These days, National Arbor Day falls on the last Friday of April, but 22 states celebrate earlier or later depending on when the best time to plant trees falls in their region. For example, Florida and Georgia celebrate on the third Friday in January, while South Carolinians plant trees together on the first Friday in December. Whenever your state celebrates Arbor Day, it’s always a great time to plant a tree.