Earlier this week, the Woodland City Council passed a proclamation declaring March 15 as Arbor Day.

National Arbor Day was first founded in 1872 by J. Sterling Morton in Nebraska to designate a special day for tree planting. According to the proclamation, it was first observed with the planting of more than a million trees in Nebraska, and this year marks the 153rd anniversary.

The city of Woodland celebrates Arbor Day to recognize the community benefits of trees and the community’s heritage as “The City of Trees,” the proclamation states.

“The observance of Arbor Day in Woodland on March 15, not only shows the City’s commitment to its urban forest but also increases the awareness of the importance of trees in urban areas. It also provides educational opportunities to promote and improve the practice of urban tree planting and care,” the staff report states.

“I don’t know about you, but when Warren Buffett talks, I listen. When discussing long-term strategy, Warren Buffett said someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago,” Mayor Rich Lansburgh shared. “The metaphor is pretty self-explanatory, but it also points out the importance of planting trees in our community.”

In honor of Arbor Day, the city’s urban forestry staff, the Woodland Tree Foundation, the West Coast Arborist and volunteers will gather on Saturday, March 15 at 8:30 a.m. at County Road 25A between Meikle Avenue and Promenade Drive, for a short presentation to commemorate Arbor Day at Road 25A. Afterward, volunteers will be broken up into groups to plant about 50 trees.

“We urge you all to go out there and plant a couple of trees. So as Warren Buffett reminds us, we have shade because somebody plants trees, pretty simple,” Lansburgh says.

The Woodland Tree Foundation, in partnership with the city, will also host a press conference on Monday, March 10 at Rick Gonzales, Senior, Park at 11 a.m., to launch the statewide celebration of California Arbor Week, which occurs annually from March 7 to 14.