Thanks to all West Windsor residents for helping the township achieve the “Tree City USA” status for the last 34 years. This year no exception! Only six other municipalities in New Jersey have been awarded with this distinction.
Plant a tree this week! Why plant a tree? You will be amazed of all the benefits you can achieve. It beautifies the landscape for sure. Check the following resources for data from studies done on the positive impact of trees:
• Center for Urban Forest Research
• Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers
• Arbor National Mortgage & American Forests
• Management Information Services/ICMA
• U.S. Department of Agriculture
• USDA Forest Service
• The Arbor Day Foundation
Why this week? May 5 is Arbor Day in West Windsor.
The first Arbor Day took place on April 10, 1872, in Nebraska. It was the brainchild of Julius Sterling Morton, a Nebraska journalist and politician. Throughout his career, Morton worked to improve agricultural techniques. He served as President Grover Cleveland’s secretary of agriculture. But his most important legacy is Arbor Day.
Nebraska’s first Arbor Day was an amazing success. More than one million trees were planted. A second Arbor Day took place in 1884, and the young state made it a legal holiday in 1885, using April 22 to coincide with Morton’s birthday.
Morton’s idea spread beyond Nebraska with Kansas, Tennessee, Minnesota, and Ohio all proclaiming their own Arbor Days. Today all 50 states celebrate Arbor Day. In 1970, President Richard Nixon proclaimed the last Friday in April as National Arbor Day.
Arbor Day is now celebrated in other countries including Australia. Variations are celebrated in Japan, Israel, Korea, Iceland, and India.
For the homeowner, Arbor Day is an excellent opportunity to take stock of your trees and plan for the future. Inspect your trees. Think about how planting new trees might improve your property or provide wind or heat protection. Take a trip to your local nursery to see what’s available. Walk around your neighborhood. Are there any public areas where tree planting or tree maintenance might make a real difference? Talk with your neighbors. And, oh yes, plant a tree.
Celebrate Arbor Day with us and bring your tree-related questions! Saturday May 5, at 10 a.m. at the Ronald R. Rogers Arboretum. (In case of rain the event will be held at the Senior Center.) Key events:
Arbor Day Proclamation by Mayor Shing Fu-Hsueh; the Shade Tree Commission will discuss tree planting and care; awards for the WW-P Student Art Competition; learn to identify common trees and local insects; participation by the Girls Scouts, Boys Scouts, and music students; refreshments; and take home a free tree seedling.
“What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.” — Mahatma Gandhi
Ram Ramachandran, Ph.D.
Member, West Windsor Shade Tree Commission
