We learned that Arbor Day is a tree-planting holiday that was started by a man named J. Sterling Morton of Nebraska in 1872. Morton was originally from Detroit. He took his love of trees with him when he moved into his new state. He encouraged others to plant trees, not only for their beauty, but to also keep the soil from blowing away in the Great Plains. You can read more about the history of Arbor Day here.
We learned about Michigan's state tree, the eastern white pine, from a forestry expert. She estimated the large pines in the front of our school to be approximately 100 feet tall and 70-80 years old. We learned that white pines can grow to be 125 feet tall (we measured that out with a tape measure) and live to be 250+ years old.
We visited the planting station where we received a white pine seedling of our very own. We were told to keep in mind how tall it will grow when we plant it in the ground. Thank you for all of our helpers at the planting station.
Finally, the entire fourth grade gathered at the front of the school to watch the planting of a crabapple tree, which is the only apple tree native to North America. We look forward to seeing it grow over the years.