Texas Arbor Day

Historians trace Arbor Day’s origins back to the fifth century when Swiss villagers gathered to plant groves of oak trees. Adults turned the event into a festival and children were given treats as a reward for their help planting trees.

Arbor Day first appeared in the U.S. in 1872. J. Sterling Morton is credited with guiding the country’s first Arbor Day resolution through the Nebraska state legislature that year. Residents of the Great Plains recognized how much trees could do for them and they enthusiastically embraced Morton’s vision.

President Theodore Roosevelt was a strong supporter of Arbor Day. In the early 20th century, it was becoming clear that the nation’s forests were being exhausted by cut-out-and-get-out timber harvesting. The science of forest management was emerging, and the government was moving to suppress wildfires and plant trees. President Roosevelt sent a letter to the children of the U.S. where he wrote, “a people without children would face a hopeless future; a country without trees is almost as hopeless.”

In Texas, Arbor Day first appeared in Temple on February 22, 1889. W. Goodrich Jones led the citizens of Temple in a mass meeting to call for a tree planting campaign along the streets of the city. One year later, the first statewide observance of Arbor Day was held in Austin. Through the efforts of Senator George Tyler of Belton, February 22 was set aside by law as Arbor Day to encourage the planting of trees in the state.

After the original Texas Arbor Day law expired, the state continued to observe Arbor Day by proclamation of the governor, usually on George Washington’s birthday. In 1949 the state legislature adopted a resolution designating the third Friday in January as Texas Arbor Day.

In 1989 the legislature passed a resolution moving Texas Arbor Day to the last Friday in April to align with the traditionally observed national Arbor Day. Today, the official Texas Arbor Day is held on the first Friday in November, but thanks to the diversity of this state, Arbor Day can be celebrated in Texas communities anytime throughout the fall and winter planting season.

Join us in setting an example of how we can each make our state a better place to live, work, and play.

We can quantify and model the ecosystem services of trees planted at your local celebration. Ecosystem services are the benefits trees provide directly to people and include services like carbon capture, reduction of stormwater runoff, air pollution, human health, energy savings, and much more.

Gen Z market segmentation study

According to a 2021 Gen Z Segmentation Study from Ernst & Young LLP, 55% of Gen Z said they are very or extremely interested in environmental issues. Up from 40% in 2019. And a telling 81% believe climate change is one of the biggest problems for the U.S. This generation is doing more than voicing their opinion too. They’re taking action. Most notably for businesses, 57% think it is very or extremely important to buy from brands that protect and preserve the environment.

Alignment with your corporate mission

Corporations have their own goals that can align with the work to preserve tree canopy in Texas. Trees are tightly linked to both the sustainability and livability of urban areas. Companies working to attract or relocate a high proportion of professional talent understand that quality of life can make or break a deal. Additionally, tree canopy has a direct impact on retail businesses as well. Consumers have been shown to shop longer and spend more in business districts with high tree canopy.

Spending time in nature helps you focus

Trying to focus on many activities or even a single thing for long periods of time can mentally drain us. A phenomenon called Directed Attention Fatigue. Studies show that spending time in nature, looking at plants, water, birds, and other aspects of nature gives the cognitive portion of our brain a break, allowing us to focus better and renew our ability to be patient.

Trees can create happier, heathier, more productive members of your team

Numerous studies show that both exercising in forests and simply sitting looking at trees reduce blood pressure as well as the stress-related hormones cortisol and adrenaline. Researchers have found that treed and forest interactions significantly decrease levels of anxiety, depression, anger, confusion, and fatigue that directly correlate to happier more productive members of your team.

Donate to the TreeCovery Fund and help communities replace otherwise lost tree canopy from storms and other natural disasters.

We are the lead agency for wildfire in Texas and respond to all-hazard incidents, like floods, drought, hurricanes, and more. When communities lose their tree canopy to disaster, they are not just losing trees, they are losing the many ecosystem and resiliency services those trees provided. Replacing significant canopy loss is an expensive and cumbersome process that many communities may not have the capacity to accomplish.

Texas Forestry Association

• Texas A&M Forest Service
• Texas Forestry Association
• ISA Texas