It has been over 130 years since J. Sterling Morton founded Arbor Day. His simple idea of setting aside a special day for tree planting is now more important than ever. Arbor Day is a day set aside to celebrate trees and all they provide. In many ways, trees are an essential element and this holiday is to recognize their contribution to nature's strength. In Vermont, we celebrate Arbor Day on the first Friday in May. This year, Friday, May 4, 2012. The time of year is chosen so we can roll up our sleeves and plant trees in celebration. As these these trees grow, they will pay us back.
We have several opportunities for your school, class and students to get involved in the celebration from creating a piece of tree art to school wide celebrations. Join Vermont schools and students across the state in the celebration. Here are the ways we can help.
Louisa Braun
Union Elementary School
Montpelier, VT
First Grade Winner of the 2011 Growing Works of Art Contest
Growing Works of Art Contest
A fun way to engage students in grades 1-8th to learn about trees. The contest, ‘Growing Works of Art’ is meant to enrich student's knowledge about Vermont’s trees and provide students with an opportunity to author what will become a set of trading cards to be collected by students across the state. Topical storm Irene greatly impacted the state, this year's contest will focus on trees that grow in our floodplains. Learn More
Contest completed for 2012 - stay tuned for our 2013 contest!
Arbor Day Passport
Celebrate Vermont’s Arbor Day by completing projects in our Arbor Day Passport and receive amazing prizes including a set of our 2011 Tree Trading Cards (these cards were designed from the winners of the Growing Works of Art contest), a Vermont State Parks day use pass and more! Learn More
Beetle Busting 101 We need your class’s help to survey the trees on your school's ground. We need to protect our trees from pesky invasive insects and early detection is essential to stopping the spread. Learn more.
Arbor Day Celebrations An Arbor Day celebration, may be simple and brief or an elaborate all-day observation, can be enjoyed by children and adults alike.
♦ Celebration Ideas: For lots of ideas about how to observe and celebrate Arbor Day in your school or community, we will send you a free copy of “Celebrate Arbor Day!” created by the National Arbor Day Foundation. We will also include Vermont specific information on trees and forests.
State Arbor Day Ceremony Each year the Governor reads and signs an Arbor Day proclamation designating the first Friday in May as Arbor Day in Vermont. The celebration, held on the Statehouse steps in Montpelier, also recognizes the winners of the Growing Works of Art contest, and Tree City, Tree Line and Tree Campus USA's.
Vermont Forests Forever CD-ROM
A free, educational and fun CD-ROM with companion brochure and educator’s guide for 5th & 6th grade students on forest management and its relationship to wildlife, recreation and wood products. The computer CD which combines video clips, a pre-test and post-test, a virtual forest scavenger hunt, the ability for students to design their own forest on-screen, and hotlinks to cool websites has been a great hit with students. A published companion educator’s guide referenced to Vermont Framework of Standards that includes classroom and field study activities, suggested readings and even a forest community word search and crossword puzzle helps teacher’s pull all the elements together. Contact: Kate Forrer, 802.223.2389 ext. 210 or katherine.forrer@uvm.edu
![Vermont Division of Forestry [photo]](../rand/bann_urbcomm.jpg)
