The first Arbor Day celebration was first held in Nebraska on April 10, 1872, when J. Sterling Morton proposed that a special day be set aside for the planting of trees. This was first observed with the planting of more than one million trees in the state, and is now celebrated all over the world.
Utah and most states celebrate Arbor Day on the last Friday of April, but some, like Hawaii and Alaska, observe it on dates that better align with their planting times.
Many communities across Utah observe Arbor Day with group tree plantings. Check your local events calendar to discover when and where you can join others in the celebrations.
In Salt Lake City, Red Butte Garden celebrates with a free admission day, inviting visitors to self-guided “tree-rific” activities and the learning of the role trees play in our lives and the natural world. redbuttegarden.org
Use Red Butte Garden’s Tree Journal to track and record thoughts and observations about your favorite tree or new seedling.
Did You Know?
In 2014, Utah’s state tree was changed from the Colorado Blue Spruce to the Quaking Aspen in honor of Pando. Near Fish Lake, it is an aspen clone that originated from a single seed and is now a single root system. Pando is believed to be the largest, most dense organism ever found at nearly 13 million pounds. The clone spreads over 106 acres, and consists of more than 40,000 individual trees.
