Turn Over a New Leaf This Arbor Day

Planting a tree in honor of Arbor Day is a great way to combat global warming.

Arbor Day, which is celebrated the last Friday in April, fell off our radar for the past several years, until a friend reminded us of the Arbor Day Foundation’s online tree identifier, when we had trouble discerning the type of tree outside our window. In grade school, we loved Arbor Day, when teachers would pass out trees to take home and plant — our pine from third grade still thrives in the yard of our childhood home. We also begged our mother to join the Arbor Day Foundation, so we could get 10 free trees, a deal that the organization still offers!

Our elementary-school days long gone, we checked out new ways to celebrate National Arbor Day on April 30. According to the foundation, over the course of 50 years, one tree can generate $31,250 of oxygen and $62,000 worth of air pollution control, as well as recycle $37,500 worth of water and control $31,500 worth of soil erosion, so it’s a perfect way to end Earth Month!

• Find a volunteer tree-planting event in your area. Sign up on the Arbor Day Foundation website to receive email updates on tree-planting events. Or check out organizations throughout the country that are involved in tree planting and care.
• Give the gift of trees. Trees are available to order from the Arbor Day Foundation for corporate events, fundraisers — or even as wedding favors! Order trees in a poly tube ($3 each) with planting instructions and a label that can be customized for an additional fee. The tube is made with post-consumer content and comes with instructions for converting it into a bird feeder. Choose from several varieties, including Colorado Blue Spruce and Ponderosa Pine — just check the map shown on the site when ordering to make sure the trees can grow in your intended planting area.
• Buy socks and undies. The Arbor Day Foundation has teamed up with Hanes to offer a free Hanes Earth Day 365 T-shirt, with the purchase of three Hanes products through May 15. For every T-shirt claimed, Hanes donates $1 to the Arbor Day Foundation to plant one tree, up to 20,000, in the Hiawatha National Forest in northern Michigan to support the North Pine River restoration project.
• Purchase Arbor Day Specialty Coffee to save the rain forests. A Rain Forest Rescue Gift Box ($19.95) comes with a travel mug and a 10-ounce bag of coffee — or select the gift pack with two mugs ($24.95). We also like the coffee-and-French-press combo ($29.95).
• Order Give-A-Tree cards. Every card purchased plants one tree in a national forest. Cards are available for birthdays, holidays, special occasions, thinking-of-you, sympathy or “Just Because.” Or send an e-card and make a $5.95 donation to ensure a tree is planted in a national forest. It’s also possible to plant trees in celebration, as a gift or in memory of a loved one — or in honor of a beloved pet!
• Enter the Give-A-Tree Photo Contest. Upload your tree photo (at least 300 dpi resolution) through April 30. Contestants may enter up to four photos. Or simply vote for your favorite! The grand-prize winner will have his or her photo appear on a Give-A-Tree card and will receive a commemorative print of their photo and 25 cards. Runners up will receive 10 cards with their image. The card with the highest online rating from votes will be featured on an electronic Give-A-Tree card.
• Join the Arbor Day Foundation. Memberships are $10 for six months and $15 for one year, but through May 15, use this Hanes link to get a year’s membership for $10! New members can select 10 free trees; if you don’t have the space for that many, you can opt to send them to someone else or have them planted in national forests that have been damaged by wildfire or disease. Members also receive a guide for tree planting and care, a subscription to the bimonthly Arbor Day newsletter and a 33–56 percent discount on trees from the foundation. There’s also the option of two free Give-A-Tree cards.

We’re happy that there are so many options available to celebrate National Arbor Day. Planting trees is an effective and beautiful way to reduce global warming. How do you plan to celebrate Arbor Day?

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