A young giant sequoia sprouting out of an old log in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California

The sprout with amazing potential. American Arbor Day

With a little love and support, this little sprout at Prairie Creek Redwood State Park in California has a big future ahead of it. It has the potential to one day be the tallest tree on the planet, or at least close to it. Its ‘big brother,’ Hyperion, currently holds the record at 380 feet. They’re giant sequoias, aka giant redwood trees. They often grow upwards of 300 feet tall and can live for thousands of years. They’re heroes of nature, affecting the weather and climate, while housing and protecting other plants and animals. But all of this little sprout’s potential is at risk because the giant sequoia is an endangered species. Fewer than 80,000 of them remain. That’s why today is an important day for it and all trees.

That’s right, today is Arbor Day, the day where we stop a moment to think about the trees (and hopefully even plant a few). The first American Arbor Day occurred 150 years ago, when an estimated one million trees were planted in Nebraska in 1872. This year, America’s Arbor Day Foundation is celebrating its 50th year of dedication to tree planting. They’ve planted over 350 million of them over the years, but the mission never ends. Trees are vital to the health of our planet, which means they're important for our own health as well. Why not do a little to make the future a better place and take a moment to nurture or plant a new tree today?