Arbor Day is rooted in necessity

Mickey Starling  Reporter3@riverbendnews.org For many, Arbor Day is one of those holidays that doesn't receive much attention. However, in the 1800s, it was the extreme need for trees that eventually blossomed into the idea of having a holiday dedicated to the care and planting of trees. When pioneers began moving into the Nebraska Territory, they quickly mourned the absence of trees in the area. Without them, there were no windbreaks to keep the soil in place, no fuel or building materials and no shade from the hot sun. One resident of Nebraska, J. Sterling Morton, had a great amount of enthusiasm for the replanting of trees. Morton was a newspaper editor who eventually bec