Arbor Day is about Future Days

What’s not to love about a tree?

Trees create oxygen, purify water, sequester harmful carbon dioxide, help business, raise property values, and have even been proven to curb crime, says Doug Emmerthal, director of Connecticut’s Urban Forestry Program.

“A hundred years ago, they were just realizing the benefits of trees,” he says, referring back near the time of the state’s first Arbor Day observance in 1887. Now, Arbor Day is celebrated every year on the last Friday of April.

Trees are especially important to have in urban settings, where there’s typically more pollution in the air, says Emmerthal.

“They’re key for air quality,” he says. But trees also help to decrease water pollution. “They pick up an immense amount of water, soaking it up before it can become contaminated.”

Whether you live in a city or a suburb, you should always consult your neighborhood nursery before you plant any type of tree, says Emmerthal. Also, if you go to a local nursery, they will only sell trees that work in your area, he says.

Another bit of advice is to “look around and see what other trees have been successful in your area,” Emmerthal says. “And visualize what the tree will look like in the future.”

Thinking about the future is a huge part of Arbor Day.

After the kids in the above video went back to class, Arborist Lindsay Mathews, who serves on Branford’s Community Forest Commission, had a premonition.

“These kids are going to come by here in 20 years and say, ‘I planted this tree,’” she said.