Tree Boards/Tree Groups/Arborists

Homeowners

Business Organizations

Community Organizations

Municipal Officials

Legislators

Educators

Media

Arbor Day home

Teacher Aides

Below is some information about Arbor Day and suggested activities or ideas to share with your students to celebrate Arbor Day:

What is Arbor Day?

Arbor Day is a day set aside for schools, civic clubs, and other organizations, as well as individuals, to reflect on the importance of trees in our state and across our nation.

When is Arbor Day in Georgia?

Arbor Day in Georgia is observed each year on the third Friday in February. In 1941, the Georgia General Assembly set this date as the day of our state Arbor Day. National Arbor Day is in April, but it is too warm in April to plant trees in Georgia. Trees should be planted between November and mid-March in Georgia, so they will have a better chance of becoming established before the onset of summer heat.

What is the history of Arbor Day?

J. Sterling Morton is credited as the father of Arbor Day. He initiated the holiday in 1872. The first Georgia Arbor Day was proclaimed by the General assembly in 1890.

Why do we celebrate Arbor Day?

"Other holidays repose upon the past; Arbor Day proposes for the future." These are J. Sterling Morton's words about Arbor Day. Every tree planted on Arbor Day helps clean the air, beautify neighborhoods, provide homes for wildlife, conserve energy, and prevent soil erosion, among many other things. Arbor Day gives everyone an opportunity to learn about trees and the benefits they provide to communities.

What is Georgia's State Tree?

The state tree of Georgia is the live oak (Quercus virginiana). The largest live oak in Georgia is almost 10 feet in diameter, 86 feet tall, with a limb spread of 143 feet. This Georgia Champion is in Waycross, GA. For more information on habitat, historic use, and varieties, visit Extension Forest Resources at the University of Georgia.

Arbor Day Rap

Trees are important and we're here to say

You should plant one every day.

It started in Nebraska as Mr. Morton's fad,

And everyone thought it was totally rad.

Trees were planted all over the land.

People came from everywhere to lend a hand.

It came to be known as Arbor Day,

And everyone knew it was here to stay.

If we keep on working and show we care,

Soon it will be celebrated everywhere.

Now, we have Arbor Day and Earth Day, too.

But, there's still much more that we can do.

Plant those trees and care for them, too.

Clean up the air and let the sun shine through!

By: Kate Burakowski, Stephen Butterfield, Janel D'Agata, Alyssa VanWie 1990 Derry Village School , NH

Arbor Day Poem

What is a Tree?

To a carpenter, it is a table.

To a fisherman, it is a boat that carries him across the waters.

To a plowman, it is a yoke to harness his oxen.

To a village woman, it is firewood to cook the evening's rice.

To a herder, it is fodder for cows and goats.

To a farmer, it is what prevents the good soil from being washed away.

To a child, it is a place to play amidst the squirrels and birds.

To a tired and weary traveler, it is shade from the sun and shelter from the rain.

To elephants and monkeys, it is home.

For humankind, it is part of a vast green blanket that protects the earth from the intense rays of the sun.

To our planet Earth, it is lungs. Trees produce oxygen that we breathe. A tree is the very breath of life itself.

From: 1989 Children and Trees Project Shanta, Success Road Auroville, Kottakuppam 605 l04,Tamil Nadu , India

Tree Quotes

The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.    ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

That each day I may walk unceasingly on the banks of my water, that my soul may repose on the branches of the trees which I planted, that I may refresh myself under the shadow of my sycamore.

~ Egyptian tomb inscription, circa 1400 BCE - sycamore trees were held to be

sacred in ancient Egypt and are the first trees represented in ancient art

To exist as a nation, to prosper as a state, and to live as a people, we must have trees.

~ Theodore Roosevelt

No shade tree? Blame not the sun but yourself.    ~ Chinese proverb

The planting of trees shows faith in the future.

                                                                              ~ Lucy Van Pelt, Peanuts comic strip, March 3, 1963

Trees are the earth's endless effort to speak to the listening heaven. ~ Rabindranath Tagore

Why are there trees I never walk under but large and melodious thoughts descend upon me?                                                                             ~ Walt Whitman, Song of the Open Road

The Tree stands in triumph with its roots deep in the Earth, its branches touching the Sky, its leaves capturing the Sun and breathing the breath of life for animals and Man - the keystone of our natural environment and the symbol of man's life and consciousness.                                                              ~ Dr. Marion T. Hall , The Morton Arboretum

I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beech-tree, or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines.                                                                                        ~ Henry David Thoreau, 1817 - 1862

Though a tree grows so high, the falling leaves return to the root.                 ~ Malay proverb

Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come.    ~ Chinese proverb

The Trail of Trees

Tim Womick, known to many as the modern-day Johnny Appleseed and often referred to as simply “the tree guy,” will be performing his "Trail of Trees" at Arbor Day celebrations throughout the state during the week leading up to Georgia's Arbor Day.

Womick is a trained performer who has turned his passion for trees into an entertaining, inspiring and informative performance.  Inspired by Joyce Kilmer’s poem, “Trees,” which he stumbled across while visiting the Joyce Kilmer National Forest in the mountains of North Carolina many years ago, Womick’s program interacts with audiences of all ages to relay the importance of trees in our everyday lives and to encourage people to recognize their own roles as stewards of the earth.  Using props that range from an African drum to tree seeds, he gets his message across in an engaging, humorous and insightful manner.

Womick is particularly effective with middle and high school students.  He is also an impactful, creative way to educate specific target audiences such as business or professional groups on the importance of trees. 

For more information or to request a "Trail of Trees performance", contact Joan Scales at 678-476-6226 or jscales@gfc.state.ga.us.

Georgia Forestry’s Mobile Classroom

Organizations of the Georgia forestry community have partnered to bring Georgia's forests to seventh grade students using an interactive CD-ROM called Georgia Forests Forever.  A tractor-trailer van travels to middle schools throughout the state to introduce students – up to 12 at a time – to forestry issues through this clever, engaging CD-ROM.

Aboard the van, computer stations entertain students for 15-20 minutes with interactive games and videos and test their knowledge of forests and forest products.  The program also provides a fun and captivating presentation about the growth of conifers and hardwood; the many valuable products that come from trees; and the environmental and recreational benefits provided by Georgia's forests. 

Additionally, each school visited receives a full-length version of the Georgia Forests Forever CD-ROM and a corresponding teacher guide with ideas for a teaching unit, classroom activities and field trips.

The mobile classroom tours school districts across the state, staying several days in each school district. For more information, call 1-800 GATREES.