Happy Arbor Day!

Faculty planting trees, UW Oshkosh

Today while the UW community is celebrating UW Spirit Day, the nation is also celebrating Arbor Day! Arbor Day is all about celebrating and encouraging tree planting and care. Founded by J. Sterling Morton in 1872, it's celebrated on the last Friday in April every year. If you want to learn more about the history of Arbor Day or find ways to celebrate you can visit the Arbor Day Foundation website.


We have tons of images of trees in our collection, and even a few that tie in with Arbor Day pretty well. The image on the left is from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh collection. It shows faculty planting Oak trees in 1946. I bet today those trees have grown and are a great place to sit on a beautiful day like this! Anyone on the Oshkosh campus sitting under one of these trees today?

Here is also a book from our collections called Hardy evergreens: a practical handbook on the planting, growth and management of all hardy evergreens, exclusive of the broad-leaved species. This book is perfect for Arbor Day. Are any of you planting an evergreen tree today?


It is such a beautiful day to celebrate Arbor Day. I hope you all get a chance to be outside a enjoy our beautiful trees. Maybe take a nap, read or book or eat your lunch under a tree today.