Today is Arbor Day — a secular observance celebrating trees and their role in ecosystems, first celebrated in 1872 in Nebraska City, Nebraska.
Now headquartered in Lincoln, The Arbor Day Foundation is set to host the city’s largest celebration of trees on Sunday, April 27 in Antelope Park with the third-annual ‘Arbor Day LNK’ event.
The free event will run 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and will feature food trucks, tree identification tours, family-friendly exercise classes, and a DJ.
“We are proud that this holiday is now celebrated in all 50 states and countries around the globe in honor of a tree planter’s holiday,” Katie Loos, President of the Foundation, told KLIN News.
As the story goes, J. Sterling Morton of Nebraska City put forth a resolution to recognize the holiday at an annual meeting of the Nebraska State board of agriculture held in Lincoln in January 1872. As a result, an estimated one million trees were planted in Nebraska on the first observance on April 10 of that year.
Over 153 years later, Loos says they’re be celebrating Arbor Day the only way they know how.
“One of the best ways to celebrate Arbor Day is by planting a tree, and we will be giving away 400 trees and a variety of species at this event. We’ll also have some experts on hand that can help you determine the best location to plant your tree on your property,” she said.
The trees will be given away on a first-come, first-serve basis and must be picked up on site. The trees vary in species and size.
This weekend also marks the one-year anniversary of the Arbor Day tornado outbreak of 2024 which left a trail of destruction in northeast Lincoln and Lancaster County. While the city’s canopy sustained significant damage, Loos says this give-away can help restore it.
“Those storms had a lasting impact on our canopy. But we’re excited to see what these events and individual trees can do in helping to build on their recovery efforts, because replanting really does help to foster that hope and that resilience and that community pride, especially after devastating events like a storm and a natural disaster event,” Loos said.
For more information on Arbor Day LNK, visit arborday.org.