Celebrate Arbor Day With a Free Tree… or Three

GRASSO TO GIVE AWAY FREE OAK TREES

BY MELANIE BUCK –

According to the National Arbor Day website, on January 4, 1872, journalist J. Sterling Morton first proposed a tree-planting holiday to the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture to be called “Arbor Day.” The date was set for April 10, 1872 and prizes were offered to counties and individuals for planting the largest number of trees on that day. It was estimated that more than one million trees were planted in Nebraska on the first Arbor Day.

Morton and his wife were considered lovers of nature and he often promoted “agricultural information and his enthusiasm for trees to an equally enthusiastic audience,” in his newspaper columns and editorials.

In honor of Arbor Day, one local woman, Rae Grasso, will be doing her part. Grasso will be at Walmart on Friday, April 24, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. to give away 100 Nutall Oak trees, up to three trees per person.

Grasso has been a member of the National Arbor Day Foundation for over 15 years.

“Without trees, we wouldn’t have oxygen to breath. They stabilize the earth so that we don’t have as many landslides, but most important is the oxygen for us because they clear the air for us to breathe,” said Grasso.

On that first Arbor Day in 1872, thousands of school children planted trees and marched to the Nebraska Opera House afterwords to celebrate. At that meeting, Morton said, “To say that it was a complete success but faintly expresses it. A celebration of this kind results in good to all, and is worthy of imitation by every school in the state.”

Like Grasso, and so many before her, celebrate Arbor Day this Friday, April 24. Do the world some good and plant a tree, or two. As Grasso put it, “Everyone should get out there and plant some trees.”

About Author

Jeri Pearson

Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.

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