Georgia's Arbor Day
Arbor Day is a day set aside for schools, civic clubs, and other organizations, as well as individuals, to reflect on the importance of trees in our state and across our nation. J. Sterling Morton, the father of Arbor Day, initiated the holiday in Nebraska in 1872. He said, "Other holidays repose upon the past; Arbor Day proposes for the future."
The first Georgia Arbor Day was proclaimed by the Georgia General Assembly in December, 1890. In 1941, the General Assembly set the third Friday in February as the day of our state Arbor Day. While National Arbor Day is the third Friday in April, it is too warm at that time of the year to plant trees in Georgia. Trees should be planted between November and mid-March so they will have a better chance of becoming established before the onset of summer heat.
Every tree planted on Arbor Day helps clean the air and water, beautify neighborhoods, provide homes for wildlife, conserve energy, and prevent soil erosion, among many other benefits. Arbor Day gives everyone an opportunity to learn about the benefits trees provide to communities.
Recorded on February 20, 2014, the Georgia Forestry Commission teamed up with the Georgia Department of Education to present this very special webcast highlighting the many benefits and joys of trees to schools across the state. The webcast includes an opening message from Governor Nathan Deal and former Director of the Georgia Forestry Commission, Robert Farris.
Simply select this link, complete a short registration form (note: you do not have to be with a school to view the webcast - you can just enter your name for the school name). The entire webcast lasts for just over an hour.
Special thanks to EventStreams for providing webcasting services for this event.