The annual proclamation was made, and read aloud, by Mayor La Rochelle Young during Monday's meeting of the Atchison City Commission; and, in full, it recognizes the history of Arbor Day, which began in April, 1872, in Nebraska, and the benefits that trees bring not only to a local community, but to the world, on a whole.
Atchison's history of commemorating the so-called "tree planter's holiday" runs deep, maintaining its status as a Tree City USA, according to the Arbor Day Foundation, for 46-years, retaining that title by continuing to follow the four requirements: maintaining a tree board or department; having a community tree ordinance; spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry; and celebrating Arbor Day.
Atchison's long-running forestry commitment is also realized through its Forest of Friendship, a living memorial to the history of aviation which features trees from all 50 states and over 30 countries. It was founded in 1976, the same year as the beginning of the Tree City USA program, with the Forest this year marking its 50th anniversary. The Arbor Day Foundation did the same for Tree City USA, celebrating its anniversary last month in March.
Along with Atchison, another Atchison County location, Effingham, has maintained the status for 33-years, while other local area northeast Kansas communities, including Troy, Valley Falls, Hiawatha, Leavenworth, Sabetha, and Marysville, also hold long-running Tree City USA status.
National Arbor Day is always celebrated on the last Friday in April which, this year, is April 24, as stated in Atchison's proclamation; however, many states observe Arbor Day on different dates throughout the year based on their best tree planting times.
