Apparently, it’s Arbor Day

Apparently, it’s Arbor Day, which I’m willing to bet that a lot of people didn’t know when they woke up this morning. I didn’t even know about it until I saw the holiday on my calendar. Once I recognized that it was a holiday, I immediately thought, “Damnit, I forgot to decorate the house for Arbor Day,” which, of course, I didn’t because I’m pretty sure that’s not how people celebrate Arbor Day.

Given the time of year, it’s ironic how forgettable Arbor Day seems to be, particularly for those of us who live in temperate areas. Trees make their presence pretty well known around Spring. Whether it’s through their tender pale green leaves, vibrant blossoms, or clouds of pollen, there’s a pretty decent chance you’ve noticed trees at some point today.

So why do we forget Arbor Day?

I really couldn’t say, but I’m willing to hazard a few guesses. Most major holidays tend to celebrate human achievements, and that makes sense. If we had a lot of holidays celebrating hand towels or lake trout I imagine our society would be quite a bit different from what it is today. Even with the minor holidays, Arbor Day ranks pretty far down the list. I haven’t taken a poll, but if asked to name three minor holidays, I imagine Flag Day, Cinco de Mayo, and Black Friday would come up before Arbor Day.

It’s really a shame because trees do quite an awful lot for us — for anything that enjoys the act of breathing clean oxygen, actually. Aside from their showy explosions of color and growth in the Spring, they just go about the job quietly. This probably goes a long way to explaining why we don’t notice them all that much, at least until we run out of toilet paper in a pandemic.

When they’re not supplying us with toilet paper or materials to build furniture and homes, trees are pretty busy in their own stately way. They regulate the temperature in our environment, give us a ready supply of clean oxygen — a fact important enough to mention twice — provide habitats for countless numbers of critters as well as food, and myriad other vital functions that I don’t have time to look up.

Suffice it to say that trees are pretty important.

It’s probably too late to swing by the nursery today to pick up a tree and pop it in the ground, but think about planting one this weekend. It’s the traditional way to celebrate the day, as I’ve just discovered, and it might not be the worst thing you could do for the environment, as long as it’s native to your region.

About the Author

derekbremer Prior to his life as a stay at home father Derek spent more than a decade performing public relations and marketing functions for financial consulting firms and found the job to be precisely as exciting as it sounds. When not tending to his wife or daughter Derek enjoys subjecting the public to his unique take on fatherhood, travel and animal husbandry. He has been published in Scary Mommy, Sammiches and Psych Meds, The Good Men Project, HowToBeADad, Red Tricycle, RAZED, HPP and the Anthology "It's Really Ten Months Special Delivery: A Collection of Stories from Girth to Birth.