By Staff
As we celebrate Arbor Day this month, we do so with an eye to the future, knowing that planting trees today will benefit generations yet to come. History tells us that challenging economic times offer unique opportunities to plant trees. Previous generations of Americans have stepped up during difficult periods in our nation's life to protect and expand tree-planting and conservation efforts from coast to coast.
On the 137th anniversary of Arbor Day, we can learn from our nation's past that tough times provide an ideal opportunity to practice the spirit of Arbor Day, to add trees to the canopies of our cities and towns and to replant our nation's forests.
In cities, trees serve as green infrastructure, providing immense value from a modest investment. Trees help clean the air and water, mitigate storm-water runoff, increase property values, and conserve energy – all the while improving the quality of life for residents. The fact is, trees are rare components of a city's infrastructure that actually increase in value and service over time.
As municipal budgets become stretched, cutting corners on infrastructure expense such as tree planting and pruning may seem attractive on the surface. But the reality is cutting investments in these areas cost dearly over time.
History shows that when civic and national leaders make planting and caring for trees a high priority, it strengthens and adds value to the entire community.
When Americans were fighting the Civil War, leaders in New York City continued to invest in the development of a strong, centrally located city park. They planted trees, and added large areas of green space in the heart of the city. The park they continued to develop was the now-world-renowned Central Park, and today it covers 843 acres, includes 26,000 trees, and is visited by more than 25 million people every year, adding tremendous environmental, economic and social value to the city.
During the Great Depression, the federal government created the Civilian Conservation Corps. Not only did the CCC provide jobs for millions of Americans during its nine-year run, but the organization planted hundreds of millions of trees throughout the country, put out forest fires and opened up miles of trails, many of which are still in use today.
It was during this time that President Franklin Roosevelt saw an opportunity to expand our national forests and, at the urging of former Chief Forester Gifford Pinchot, championed the purchase of suddenly available and affordable timberlands. Congress added more than 13 million acres to the national forest system, creating many of our Eastern national forests that are now so valuable to the public.
Today, we are faced with similar opportunities. This is our chance to plant trees, conserve energy and improve the environment in the communities where we live, and leave a lasting legacy for our children and grandchildren.
This is our chance to:
Provide health and economic benefits to millions of Americans by strengthening and increasing the tree canopies in our towns and cities.
Reduce the one-million-acre replanting backlog in our national forests by planting millions of trees and enriching these American treasures.
Create meaningful jobs dedicated to tree-planting, tree care and conservation that will have a lasting impact on the environment, generate economic value for generations to come, and help fight global warming.
Investment icon Warren Buffet once said: "Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." This statement speaks to the long-term benefit of planting trees, as well as the value of investing in trees during challenging economic times.
Let us embrace the spirit of Arbor Day by working hard to plant trees today so that future generations will enjoy the fruits of our labor.