ARBOR DAY
Dr. Patrick Lau was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to the U.S. after high
school. He retired from the VA Northern Indiana Heath Care System where he
served as Chief Radiologist and moved to Florida with his wife in 2011. He
was an active member & contributor of IACA and ICMA while in Indiana. Dr.
Lau is also a scholar of art and literature and a prolific writer, he has
been a dedicated columnist for Indy Asian American Times since 2010.
“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not
expect to sit.” ~Nelson Henderson
Arbor Day 植樹節 is a day dedicated to the celebration and caring of trees
as well as for recognizing the significance of trees and planting more trees
in our communities. “Arbor” derives from the Latin word for “tree”.
Julius Sterling Morton, the founder of Arbor Day, was born in New York
State. He and his wife relocated to Nebraska and settled down on a 160-acre
area of treeless prairies. Morton soon discovered that the climate was very
harsh for farming; from time to time, the black, fertile topsoil was blown
away by gusty winds. He planted a tremendous number of trees and shrubs
which, besides helping to retain the valuable soil, provided fruit and shade
as well as aesthetic value. In fact, there was a great demand for the
settlers in the new territory for trees for building houses, farm buildings,
fences, fuel and windbreaks.
Morton believed that extensive tree planting would promote the economy of
Nebraska. He was also heedful that people should care for and preserve the
American natural resources and landscape. He became an advocate for forests
and woodlands; he once said, “The cultivation of trees is the cultivation of
the good, the beautiful, and the ennobling in man.” On January 4th, 1872,
Morton, a member of the Nebraska board of Agriculture, introduced a
resolution which was approved by the board to proclaim April 10th, 1872 as
the world’s first tree-planting holiday, Arbor Day. On that day,
approximately one million trees were planted in Nebraska. In 1885, Arbor Day
was changed to April 22nd in honor of Morton’s birthday. In 1970, President
Richard Nixon proclaimed the last Friday in April as National Arbor Day.
Trees reduce the greenhouse effect. The foliage absorbs carbon dioxide from
the atmosphere with the assistance of sunlight to make food (sugar and
starch) and release vital oxygen back into the air through photosynthesis.
Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas. Climate change (global warming) is
a consequence of excess greenhouse gases, created by burning fossil fuels
(coal and petrol) in our power plants, factories and cars, and destruction
of tropical rainforests (deforestation). Heat from the sun is trapped in the
thickening layer of gases, leading to the elevation of global temperatures.
Other than producing oxygen, trees purify the air we breathe by soaking up
pollutant gases, such as nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide,
nitrogen and ozone. They also filter particulates and other pollutants by
entrapping them on
their leaves. Thus, trees can help prevent air pollution.
Trees can absorb or break down hazardous chemicals and pollutants that have
entered soils, sludge, sediments, surface water and groundwater; the process
is
termed phytoremediation. Trees clean water runoff; their leaves, trunk, and
roots are natural pollution filters. They help combat water pollution. Trees
can prevent soil erosion by binding the soil with their roots and break the
force of wind and rain on soil by their leaves. They slow storm water
runoff. The roots of trees obtain water and moisture from the soil. During
transpiration, the leaves return moisture to the atmosphere as water vapor,
helping to cause rain. Trees therefore play an important role in the water
cycle.
Trees placed around buildings can reduce air conditioning needs by 30% and
save 20-50% in energy used for heating. Trees, acting as a sound barrier,
provide protection against noise pollution. Trees can increase the property
value of our homes. Trees provide fruit, timber, and paper, among other
things.
Arbor Day is the time to celebrate planting and nurturing trees. It bestows
us the opportunity to appreciate the positive impact of trees. It also
inspires us to plant trees for our future generations. Ralph Waldo Emerson
once said, “The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.”
In China, Arbor Day is celebrated on March 12th annually to commemorate the
death anniversary of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, who enthusiastically promoted
forestation. 孫中山: “我們研究到防止水災和旱災的根本方法就是要造林植樹，要
造全國大規模的森林.”. On this day, Chinese people plant trees in their
gardens or by the roadside.
Chinese proverb: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next
best time is now.”
賀知章: 碧玉妝成一樹高， 萬條垂下刔條； 不知細葉誰裁出， 二月春風似剪刀。