Arbor Day at Crossroads

Sturgeon Bay, Wis. (April 23, 2025) – In Wisconsin, Arbor Day is officially observed on the last Friday of April. However, it doesn’t have to be. The Arbor Day Foundation explains that the best day to celebrate Arbor Day is when conditions are ideal for planting trees. At Crossroads at Big Creek, that means we will plant trees on Saturday, April 26—and continue planting whenever conditions are appropriate for years to come.

According to the Arbor Day Foundation, “As pioneers began moving into the Nebraska Territory, the lack of trees was deeply felt. Not only did the new residents miss the trees they had left behind—they also needed trees as windbreaks to prevent soil erosion, for fuel and building materials, and for shade from the hot sun.”

 A newspaper editor, J. Sterling Morton, became a passionate advocate for trees. In 1872, he proposed a tree-planting holiday to be called “Arbor Day.”

Wisconsin isn’t Nebraska, but following the Lumber Era, it was nearly as devoid of trees. Between the mid-1800s and early 1900s, an estimated 90% of Wisconsin’s original forests were clear-cut.

In her book Natural Connections 2, Emily Stone wrote, “The ‘cutover’ period, when most of our original forests were logged to build our rapidly growing country, left our land denuded. Hopeful immigrants tried to homestead the land and soon found that the soils were better suited for trees than crops.”

Stone also explained that during the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) planted trees with the goal of stabilizing the damaged soil of abandoned farms. “Foresters experimented with having the CCC boys plant nonnative species in hopes that they wouldn’t be susceptible to insect and disease problems that slow growth in native species.”   

Norway Spruce, Scots Pine, Colorado Blue Spruce did grow, but they failed support the wildlife. 

We now understand that native trees provide the right kinds of food—like nuts, fruits, and leaves—and habitat for native birds and wildlife. They are also adapted to our local climate, soils, and seasonal rhythms, which helps them control erosion, filter water, and support the essential fungi and microorganisms in the soil, while sequestering carbon.

We are increasingly aware of the benefits of biodiversity. In the early years of Arbor Day, the goal was simply to plant as many trees as possible. Today, one of the  guiding principles is “Right Trees, Right Places, Right Reasons.”On Saturday, April 26, community members of all ages are invited to join  our aptly named volunteer group—the Habitat Healers—to plant trees the right trees in the right placed at Crossroads. Our Saturday Science program that day will focus on trees as wildlife habitat.

Then on Monday at 1:30 p.m., we’ll screen the pre-recorded webinar Nature’s Best Hope, featuring native plant advocate Dr. Douglas Tallamy. This inspiring, illustrated lecture explores how homeowners can create conservation corridors and wildlife habitats in their own yards.

Our after-school program this week will be “Bird Listening,” which will also explore the relationship between birds and native trees.

Tree planting won’t be limited to this week. This spring, we’ll be planting bare-root trees on the Big Creek Preserve and continue with our multi-year restoration project at the Ida Bay Preserve.

At Crossroads, we are committed to planting native species—carefully selected to be appropriate for their habitats and beneficial to wildlife and the broader ecosystem. For us, Arbor Day is more than an annual holiday. As J. Sterling Morton once said, “Arbor Day is not like other holidays. Each of those reposes on the past, while Arbor Day proposes for the future.”