ARBOR DAY, THE last Friday in April, had its start in a relatively treeless place: Nebraska. Prominent Nebraskan JULIUS STERLING MORTON proposed a day dedicated to planting trees in 1872, and the first Arbor Day was a big success. Morton had a son named Joy, who made his fortune in Chicago with a salt business you may have heard of. Joy Morton also loved trees, and on Arbor Day 1922, he planted 17 of them on his estate in Lisle, along with 130,000 other plantings that spring, and the MORTON ARBORETUM was born.
– Number of trees planted in Nebraska the first Arbor Day: 1 MILLION.
– Most common tree in Chicago: COTTONWOOD.
– Estimated number of trees in Chicago: 4.1 MILLION.
– Number of young, healthy trees whose net cooling effect is equal to 10 room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day: 1.
– Percentage of Illinois land that was forested in 1820: 39. Percentage today: 12.
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“Plant trees.”
–MORTON FAMILY MOTTO
