Plant A Tree For Arbor Day - Plant, Nurture, And Celebrate

Plant a Tree in Celebration for Arbor Day
January 17, 2014 is Arbor Day and the Florida Forest Service wants to inspire you to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. “Now is the best time to plant a seedling tree (bare root), explains Senior Forester Calin Ionita, Florida Forest Service. “Winter and early spring in general are a good time for planting trees because trees enter a dormant period. They slow their activity during the winter thus making it easier to handle the tree with the least amount of stress.” Already established “root ball” trees can be planted all year round in Florida.

Florida has been celebrating Arbor Day since 1886. Arbor Day was first celebrated on April 10, 1872 in Nebraska City, Nebraska. The founding father of Arbor Day is J. Sterling Morton who moved from Detroit to Nebraska; living in Nebraska he missed the serenity of trees. In 1872 he introduced tree planting day resolution to the State Board of Agriculture. On April 10, 1872, Arbor Day was celebrated and it was believed that more than one million trees were planted in Nebraska that day.

Help us celebrate J Sterling Morton’s legacy of Arbor Day by planting and tree. “Plant a tree to grow with your family” Senior Forester Calin states. “Trees reduce sound, produce oxygen, store carbon, clean the air, provide shade, reduce wind and erosion and increase property values.” There are other ways to celebrate Arbor Day including: taking a walk through a forest, state, county, city park; reading a book about trees to a loved one; baking with nuts or seeds from trees; painting, drawing or writing about the trees in your area.

For more information about trees (planting tips, types of trees and diseases), please contact Senior Forester Calin Ionita (863) 655-6409 or at Calin.Ionita@FreshFromFlorida.com