Latest news with #J.SterlingMorton
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
What is Arbor Day?
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Friday is known as a day to plant trees. The Arbor Day Foundation encourages people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. The word Arbor comes from Latin and means tree. Arbor Day was started in Nebraska by J. Sterling Morton, who proposed a tree planting day. And on April 10, 1872, an estimated one million trees were planted across that state. During the 1870s, other states started observing Arbor Day, and most states observe Arbor Day on the last Friday in April. Stacey Chickering from Easthampton told 22News, 'I think Arbor Day is important because it gets people out there to get new trees for their yard, it gets people out there to realize that for nature to continue, you need to have things to live in and around.' Bob Haxby, a volunteer with Tree Northampton, says, 'With global warming, shade will cool the planet. The trees are sun eaters, they eat the sunlight and produce oxygen and sugars, and all life on that planet depends on plant life.' And here in Northampton, they're celebrating Arbor Day by giving out free trees. 'We're giving away whips, which are shoots and roots of a baby tree, and these are trees we describe on the table with what kinds of needs they have, and we have buckets here with the whips that people can plant at home or wherever they want,' Haxby adds. Volunteers from Tree Northampton were available to provide information about the trees and plant them as well. Tree Northampton will be handing out the free whips in front of Northampton City Hall again on Saturday from 8 a.m. until noon. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
San Francisco Chronicle
22-04-2025
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
Oaks excel at supporting the food web (including us). Arbor Day is a reason to plant one
In 1872, a Nebraska newspaper editor and tree lover named J. Sterling Morton proposed dedicating a day to planting trees in his home state. The idea, shall we say, took root. That year, April 10 became the first organized Arbor Day, and approximately 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska. Two years later, Nebraska Gov. Robert Furnas proclaimed April 10 the state's Arbor Day. Other states soon set their own Arbor Day dates to coincide with the best time to plant trees there. And in 1970, President Richard Nixon declared the last Friday in April as National Arbor Day, although many states continue to observe their own, which sometimes align with the national holiday. If you plan to plant a tree this year, why not consider an oak? 'An oak is the best tree to choose because it is the No. 1 plant for supporting the food web, ' says University of Delaware entomologist and native plants champion Doug Tallamy, the New York Times bestselling author whose books include 'The Nature of Oaks.' 'Plants capture energy from the sun and, through photosynthesis, turn it into food — simple sugars and carbohydrates — that supports all the animals on the planet,' Tallamy explained. 'All life on Earth comes from energy provided by the sun,' he said. 'But we can't eat the sun. Plants allow us to do that. We're essentially eating energy from the sun because plants capture that energy and turn it into food — and oaks are the ones that share the most energy with other living things.' One reason oaks are so beneficial to the ecosystem is because, as native plants, they evolved alongside native insects, so those insects recognize them as food, Tallamy said. Oaks also belong to a large genus that's been around for 56 million years, so wildlife has had a lot of time to adapt to them. In all, there are 91 species of oaks across North America, so, he said, insects from coast to coast have adapted to them. 'A lot of people think they don't have a property big enough for an oak,' Tallamy said, 'but there are dwarf oaks, like Quercus prinoides, a dwarf chestnut oak. And as you go farther west, there are a lot more dwarf oaks' to choose from. Which oak do you want? When selecting any plant for your property, it's important to put the right plant in the right place. So Tallamy advises matching up your soil type and growing conditions with an appropriate oak species. 'Some oaks like acidic soil,' he said. 'There are oaks that like base soil. There are oaks that like rocky outcrops and ones that like bottomland.' Consider, too, your hardiness zone and the sunlight exposure of the site. 'If you put an oak in the front yard in the mid-Atlantic states, for example, it's going to support 557 species of caterpillars, and all of those are crucial food sources for birds,' Tallamy said. And I can't think of a better reason to plant an oak this Arbor Day. ___ Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice. ___
Washington Post
22-04-2025
- General
- Washington Post
Oaks excel at supporting the food web (including us). Arbor Day is a reason to plant one
In 1872, a Nebraska newspaper editor and tree lover named J. Sterling Morton proposed dedicating a day to planting trees in his home state. The idea, shall we say, took root. That year, April 10 became the first organized Arbor Day , and approximately 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska. Two years later, Nebraska Gov. Robert Furnas proclaimed April 10 the state's Arbor Day.
The Independent
22-04-2025
- General
- The Independent
Oaks excel at supporting the food web (including us). Arbor Day is a reason to plant one
In 1872, a Nebraska newspaper editor and tree lover named J. Sterling Morton proposed dedicating a day to planting trees in his home state. The idea, shall we say, took root. That year, April 10 became the first organized Arbor Day, and approximately 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska. Two years later, Nebraska Gov. Robert Furnas proclaimed April 10 the state's Arbor Day. Other states soon set their own Arbor Day dates to coincide with the best time to plant trees there. And in 1970, President Richard Nixon declared the last Friday in April as National Arbor Day, although many states continue to observe their own, which sometimes align with the national holiday. If you plan to plant a tree this year, why not consider an oak? 'An oak is the best tree to choose because it is the No. 1 plant for supporting the food web, ' says University of Delaware entomologist and native plants champion Doug Tallamy, the New York Times bestselling author whose books include 'The Nature of Oaks.' ' Plants capture energy from the sun and, through photosynthesis, turn it into food — simple sugars and carbohydrates — that supports all the animals on the planet,' Tallamy explained. 'All life on Earth comes from energy provided by the sun,' he said. 'But we can't eat the sun. Plants allow us to do that. We're essentially eating energy from the sun because plants capture that energy and turn it into food — and oaks are the ones that share the most energy with other living things.' One reason oaks are so beneficial to the ecosystem is because, as native plants, they evolved alongside native insects, so those insects recognize them as food, Tallamy said. Oaks also belong to a large genus that's been around for 56 million years, so wildlife has had a lot of time to adapt to them. In all, there are 91 species of oaks across North America, so, he said, insects from coast to coast have adapted to them. 'A lot of people think they don't have a property big enough for an oak,' Tallamy said, 'but there are dwarf oaks, like Quercus prinoides, a dwarf chestnut oak. And as you go farther west, there are a lot more dwarf oaks' to choose from. Which oak do you want? When selecting any plant for your property, it's important to put the right plant in the right place. So Tallamy advises matching up your soil type and growing conditions with an appropriate oak species. 'Some oaks like acidic soil,' he said. 'There are oaks that like base soil. There are oaks that like rocky outcrops and ones that like bottomland.' Consider, too, your hardiness zone and the sunlight exposure of the site. 'If you put an oak in the front yard in the mid-Atlantic states, for example, it's going to support 557 species of caterpillars, and all of those are crucial food sources for birds,' Tallamy said. And I can't think of a better reason to plant an oak this Arbor Day. ___ Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice. ___ For more AP gardening stories, go to
Associated Press
22-04-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Oaks excel at supporting the food web (including us). Arbor Day is a reason to plant one
In 1872, a Nebraska newspaper editor and tree lover named J. Sterling Morton proposed dedicating a day to planting trees in his home state. The idea, shall we say, took root. That year, April 10 became the first organized Arbor Day, and approximately 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska. Two years later, Nebraska Gov. Robert Furnas proclaimed April 10 the state's Arbor Day. Other states soon set their own Arbor Day dates to coincide with the best time to plant trees there. And in 1970, President Richard Nixon declared the last Friday in April as National Arbor Day, although many states continue to observe their own, which sometimes align with the national holiday. If you plan to plant a tree this year, why not consider an oak? 'An oak is the best tree to choose because it is the No. 1 plant for supporting the food web, ' says University of Delaware entomologist and native plants champion Doug Tallamy, the New York Times bestselling author whose books include 'The Nature of Oaks.' 'Plants capture energy from the sun and, through photosynthesis, turn it into food — simple sugars and carbohydrates — that supports all the animals on the planet,' Tallamy explained. 'All life on Earth comes from energy provided by the sun,' he said. 'But we can't eat the sun. Plants allow us to do that. We're essentially eating energy from the sun because plants capture that energy and turn it into food — and oaks are the ones that share the most energy with other living things.' One reason oaks are so beneficial to the ecosystem is because, as native plants, they evolved alongside native insects, so those insects recognize them as food, Tallamy said. Oaks also belong to a large genus that's been around for 56 million years, so wildlife has had a lot of time to adapt to them. In all, there are 91 species of oaks across North America, so, he said, insects from coast to coast have adapted to them. 'A lot of people think they don't have a property big enough for an oak,' Tallamy said, 'but there are dwarf oaks, like Quercus prinoides, a dwarf chestnut oak. And as you go farther west, there are a lot more dwarf oaks' to choose from. Which oak do you want?When selecting any plant for your property, it's important to put the right plant in the right place. So Tallamy advises matching up your soil type and growing conditions with an appropriate oak species. 'Some oaks like acidic soil,' he said. 'There are oaks that like base soil. There are oaks that like rocky outcrops and ones that like bottomland.' Consider, too, your hardiness zone and the sunlight exposure of the site. 'If you put an oak in the front yard in the mid-Atlantic states, for example, it's going to support 557 species of caterpillars, and all of those are crucial food sources for birds,' Tallamy said. And I can't think of a better reason to plant an oak this Arbor Day. ___ Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice. ___ For more AP gardening stories, go to
