Arbor Day. Photos: Tree, miracle of Nature, clothes of Earth, life of lives. Plant trees for a green future, ours & children's

Tree of Life
The Tree of Life in Bahrain is one of the world's loneliest trees. The mesquite tree sits at the highest point in the barren desert of Bahrain, hundreds of miles from another natural tree and is thought to have tap roots reaching hundreds of feet down to aquifers. The exact age of the tree is unknown though it's generally believed to be more than 400 years old.

Montezuma Cypress: The Tule Tree
The Tule Tree, or El Árbol del Tule, is a Montezuma cypress tree on the grounds of a church in Santa María del Tule in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It measures more than 119 feet around but is only 116 feet high (To put that in perspective, the General Sherman is 275 feet high and 102 feet around). It's believed that the tree is about 2,000 years old. Local legend holds that the tree was planted 1,400 years ago by a priest of the Aztec storm god. According to National Geographic, it is the inspiration for an annual festival in Oaxaca celebrated on the second Monday of October.

Quaking aspen: Pando
Pando, or the Trembling Giant, is a remarkable massive colony of a single quaking aspen trees spread over more than 100 acres in Utah. Every tree in the area shoots from a single organism, and they share a giant underground root system. It's estimated that Pando collectively weighs 6,615 tons, making it the heaviest living organism on the planet.

Giant Sequoia: General Sherman
This redwood tree is located in Sequoia National Park in California and is believed to be between 2,300 and 2,700 years old. It towers about 275 feet above the ground, is the largest non-clonal tree in the world by volume, and is more than 100 feet around at the base.

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Trees frame life, providing shade, oxygen, food, homes, heat and of course, building materials. Trees are universal, they house our swings and tree houses; they overlook our first kisses and marriage proposals. There are an estimated 100,000 different species of trees comprising a quarter of all living plant species around the world. Spread among the billions of trees around the globe are a few special ones, especially worthy of attention. Above are some of the world's most amazing trees.

Arbor Day in United States: April 30, 2010 Arbor Day. Arbor Day is a state holiday in Nebraska on the last Friday of April

What do people do?

On Arbor Day, people are encouraged to plant and care for trees. A wide range of events are organized to promote Arbor Day. These include: communal tree planting ceremonies; proclamations by city governments; exhibitions and educational activities on trees and their importance to local communities and the planet as a whole; and fairs, musical performances and open days in garden centers. Schools are encouraged to plan lessons around the theme of trees. Arbor Day awards are also presented to individuals and organizations across the United States and around the world. These are awarded for outstanding service to trees, forestry or related ecological themes.

Public life

Arbor Day falls on the last Friday of April in Nebraska. It is a state holiday so schools and state offices, including many historic sites, are closed. Public transit systems offer a reduced service or may shut down completely. Other businesses and stores may be open or closed according to local custom.

Background

In 1854 J Sterling Morton moved from Detroit to the area that is now the state of Nebraska. At that time there were virtually no trees in the area and he and the other pioneers desired to have them in their surroundings. They also noticed that trees were needed to act as windbreaks to stabilize the soil and to provide shade from the sun, fuel and building materials. Morton planted many trees around his own home but wanted to encourage and enable others to do the same.

At a Nebraska State Board of Agriculture meeting on January 4, 1872, he proposed a holiday to plant trees on April 10, 1872. This was known as "Arbor Day" and prizes were awarded to the counties and individuals who planted the most trees on the day. A total of about one million trees were planted in Nebraska on the first Arbor Day. In 1874, Governor Robert W Furnas officially proclaimed that Arbor Day would be observed on April 10, 1884. In 1885, it became a legal holiday and was moved to April 22, which was Morton's birthday. In 1989 the official state holiday was moved to the last Friday in April. In Nebraska, Arbor Day is now observed on the last Friday in April, which is also when National Arbor Day is observed. Former President Richard Nixon proclaimed the last Friday in April as National Arbor Day during his presidency in 1970.

All states in the US now have an official Arbor Day, usually at a time of year that is has the correct climatological conditions for planting trees. Many observations of this day are in April, but the following states hold them at different times of the year: Florida and Louisiana (January); Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi (February); Arkansas, Arizona, California, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Tennessee (March); Alaska, Maine, North Dakota and Vermont (May); Hawaii (November); and South Carolina (December). Similar events to encourage the planting or care of trees are arranged in many countries around the world. The dates are usually chosen to coincide with the optimal season for planting or caring for native trees.

Symbols

Arbor Day is symbolized by the trees that are planted on the day or as a result of fundraising activities. The official Arbor Day logo shows a mature deciduous tree and the words "celebrate Arbor Day". The symbol of the Arbor Day Foundation is a similar tree in a circle, symbolizing the importance of trees to the whole planet. Local initiatives may use their state tree as a symbol.

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Photos courtesy of swamibu / Flickr, nathangibbs / Flickr, a4gpa / Flickr, yathin / Flickr and © D’Moon

Image Gallery: World's 7 most amazing trees