On April 26th, Americans celebrate the national holiday of Arbor Day. Arbor Day is held on the last Friday of April and celebrates the importance of trees. Traditionally, Americans plant trees during this holiday. Some people like to plant trees in their backyard, cities plant trees in local parks, and even schools plant trees in their schoolyards. One of my fondest memories as a child was celebrating Arbor Day with my elementary school classmates and teachers.
That day, we got out our shovels and we planted several trees in our schoolyard. Over the years, I observed how the trees matured and grew taller, like me.
As a native of downtown Chicago, I did not often get to go to the woods and enter into nature. Events held to celebrate the environment like Arbor Day formed my appreciation of trees and my passion for the environment.
In a materialistic world, it is easy to forget the value of trees and nature. Scientifically, trees are important because they absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. The absorption of carbon dioxide is crucial in improving the environment and slowing global warming.
As humans burn more fossil fuels, such as oil and coal, more carbon dioxide is released into the environment and the planet warms up. Trees help counteract this global trend by taking carbon dioxide out of the environment.
Trees not only absorb moisture during the rainy seasons but their root structure also helps keep soil in a fixed location. For that reason, trees are very good at preventing landslides and erosion-something that is particularly important in Taiwan.
Although Kinmen is fortunate to have a variety of trees and wildlife, I urge you to plant a tree on Arbor Day. While you may think planting just one tree is insignificant, consider the effect of many people each planting a tree.
On the first Arbor Day ever, for instance, approximately one million trees were planted! Therefore, we should all plant trees in an effort to beautify our surroundings and create a safer, greener environment.