It seems to me like Arbor Day is kind of the Rodney Dangerfield of national holidays in that it doesn’t get a whole lot of respect or attention even though it’s been around for over 150 years. Schools don’t close, the banks stay open and in most ways it is an average/normal day. So what is Arbor Day? It literally translates to “tree day” from the Latin origin of the word arbor. It is a holiday that celebrates the planting, upkeep and preservation of trees. In short, it’s tree planting day. Arbor Day was initiated by J. Sterling Morton of Nebraska City, Neb. The first Arbor Day was observed on April 10,1872, with an estimated one million trees planted in Nebraska.

This year the official date of Arbor Day was Saturday, April 25. I didn’t plant trees on the actual date, but I did a couple of days later when the trees arrived from Pierce County. I celebrated with Big River Rich down in the Big River valley. I couldn’t give you an accurate guess on when Big River Rich and I started this “tradition like no other” but I would estimate the first trees we planted together are now as tall as a three-story house and stout enough to roost turkeys.  

Over the past 20 years or so we have planted plum trees, Douglas firs, white oaks and red maples. This year we loaded up on Douglas firs. As we circled the property, planting as we went, I wondered how close we were getting to running out of tree space. Historically our batting average is right around 70 percent. 

This year, planning went pretty quick, and it helped that Big River Rich and I have been teammates for a long time. It’s not exactly a Six Sigma Toyota manufacturing model, but it’s close. While I do some prep work separating tubes and gathering stakes, Big River Rich drills the sapling holes and eventually I come along and drop the trees in and pack them straight and tight with soil. After that, whoever has a free hand and a hammer places the tubes over the young trees and pounds a stake alongside the tube to hold everything in place.

So why do I do it? That’s a great question and a harder one to answer. I guess the best way to say it is that it makes me feel good. I’ve spent a huge part of my life outdoors and this is my way to give a shoutout to Mother Nature and say “THANKS.”

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