Presidential Message on Arbor Day Search Select Category All News Briefings & Statements All Presidential Actions Executive Orders Nominations & Appointments Presidential Memoranda Proclamations Fact Sheets Releases Remarks Research All Briefings & Statements Presidential Actions All Executive Orders Nominations & Appointments Presidential Memoranda Proclamations Fact Sheets Releases Remarks Research Arbor Day is a celebration dedicated to the planting of trees.  It was first observed on April 10, 1872, when Nebraskan settlers planted an estimated one million trees to populate the barren plains and provide shade, fuel, and building materials for the pioneers.  The founder of Arbor Day, J. Sterling Morton, proclaimed, “Other holidays repose upon the past; Arbor Day proposes for the future.”  On this day, we reaffirm that trees are indispensable to life on Earth and essential to the stewardship and preservation of our planet.…