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Arbor Day is a holiday in which individuals and groups are
encouraged to plant trees. Arbor Day originated in Nebraska City, Nebraska,
United States and is celebrated in a number of countries. Though it was founded officially by J. Sterling Morton in Nebraska
in 1872. The celebration may have its original roots in Judaism in a celebration
called Tu B'Shevat. By the 1920s each state in the United States passed public
laws had proclaimed a certain day to be Arbor Day or Arbor and Bird Day observance.
The dates differ and were established depending on climate and suitable planting
times.
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Arbor Day is now a holiday that has an international observance
and recognition in many countries.
Birdsey Northrop of Connecticut was responsible for globalizing
it when he visited Japan in 1883 and delivered his Arbor Day and Village Improvement
message. In that same year, the American Forestry Association made Northrup
the Chairman of the committee to campaign for Arbor Day nationwide. He also
brought his enthusiasm for Arbor Day to Australia, Canada and Europe.
Arbor Day reached its height of popularity on its 125th anniversary
in 1997, when Col. David J. Wright, noticed that a Nebraska non profit called
the National Arbor Day Foundation had taken the name of the holiday and commercialized
it for their own use as a trademark for their publication "Arbor Day,"
so he countered their efforts, launched a website, and trademarked it for "public
use celebrations" and defended the matter in a federal district court in
the United States to insure it was judged as property of the public domain,
the case was settled in October of 1999. Today as a result of Wright's efforts
anyone can use the term Arbor Day and anyone can hold their own Arbor Day celebration.
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