Arbor Day in the United States

Arbor Day originated in Nebraska City, Nebraska on April 10th, 1872. On that first Arbor Day there were approximately 1 million trees planted.

• 1872: On April 20, 1872 Arbor Day first celebrated.
• 1873-1883: No Arbor Day celebrated.
• 1884: Arbor Day celebrated again in Nebraska.
• 1885: On April 22, 1885 Arbor Day became a legal holiday in Nebraska, the state where it originated. 1000 children formed a parade on that day.
• 1905: 20 years later, every state in America celebrated Arbor Day, aside from Delaware.
• 1906: Delaware eventually joined the Arbor Day celebrations.
• 1970: President Richard Nixon declared the last Friday in April to be Arbor Day.

Arbor Day varies by State

23 states use the last Friday in April for Arbor Day, however more states have chosen a different date depending on their climate. Some states even have an Arbor Week (7 days), and California celebrates for 8 days each year (7th-14th). There are seven different months that have an Arbor Day in the United States. It starts in November, and continues through May with at least one day celebrated as Arbor Day. There are so many different days that the states have chosen, that Arbor Day has to be the most celebrated holiday of the year, because it can be celebrated on 50 different days throughout the year, and in some years, 51 days! Think about what it would be like to jump around the country just so you could celebrate the same holiday 51 times in the same year. Anyone game?

The 7 months Arbor Day is somewhere in the US for 2024

• January - 1 date
• February - 8 dates
• March - 19 dates
• April - 12 dates
• May - 9 dates
• November - 1 date
• December - 1 date
• Total - 51* dates to celebrate Arbor Day in 2024.

Here is a color-coded U.S. map showing the Arbor Day month for each state

Map source used by permission of GNU Free Documentation License, and same license applies to this image.

You can visit the Arbor Day Foundation for lots of information, plus here is a breakdown for every state (for 2024). Arbor Day is also recognized by other countries besides the United States.

NOTE: In the United States, the seven different months that can have an Arbor Day date will show on the Calendar Trivia pages for that month, if the website is configured for a state that celebrates during that month. For example, this website is configured for Nebraska, which celebrates in April. Trivia for other months:

• January • February • March • April • May • November • December •

Below, you can see when all of the states celebrate Arbor Day; first by State, then by Month

By State for 2024

By Month for 2024

January

• 19th* • (Friday)
  •  Arbor Day (Third Friday in January for FL)*
  •  Arbor Day (Third Friday in January for LA)*

February

•  9th* • (Friday)  Arbor Day (Second Friday in February for MS)*
• 16th* • (Friday)  Arbor Day (Third Friday in February for GA)*
• 18th* • (Sunday)  Arbor Week (Last full week in February for AL)*

March

•  1st* • (Friday)  Arbor Day (First Friday in March for TN)*
•  7th-14th* • (Thursday - Thursday)  Arbor Week (8 days in March for CA)*
•  8th* • (Friday)  Arbor Day (Second Friday in March for NM)*
• 15th* • (Friday)  Arbor Day (Third Friday in March for AZ)*
• 18th* • (Monday)  Arbor Day (Third Monday in March for AR)*
• 22nd* • (Friday)  Arbor Day (First Friday following March 15th for NC)*
• 24th* • (Sunday)  Arbor Week (Last full week in March for OK)*

April

•  3rd* • (Wednesday)  Arbor Day (First Wednesday in April for MD)*
•  5th* • (Friday)  Arbor Day (First Friday in April for MO)*
•  7th - 13th* • (Sunday - Saturday)  Arbor Week (First full week in April for OR)*
• 10th* • (Wednesday)  Arbor Day (Second Wednesday in April for WA)*
• 12th* • (Friday)  Arbor Day (Second Friday in April for WV)*
• 19th* • (Friday)  Arbor Day (Third Friday in April for CO)*
• 26th* • (Friday)
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for CT)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for DC)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for DE)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for IA)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for ID)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for IL)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for IN)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for KS)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for KY)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for MA)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for MI)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for MN)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for MT)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for NH)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for NJ)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for NV)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for NY)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for OH)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for PA)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for RI)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for SD)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for UT)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for VA)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April for WI)*
  •  Arbor Day (Last Friday in April)*
• 29th* • (Monday)  Arbor Day (Last Monday in April for WY)*

May

•  3rd* • (Friday)
  •  Arbor Day (First Friday in May for ND)*
  •  Arbor Day (First Friday in May for VT)*
• 12th - 18th* • (Sunday - Saturday)  Arbor Week (Third full week in May for ME)*
• 20th* • (Monday)  Arbor Day (Third Monday in May for AK)*

November

•  1st* • (Friday)
  •  Arbor Day (First Friday in November for HI)*
  •  Arbor Day (First Friday in November for TX)*

December

•  6th* • (Friday)  Arbor Day (First Friday in December for SC)*

Comparing NC and AZ Arbor Day Dates

Arizona and North Carolina often celebrate Arbor Day on the same date but not always; each use a different rule: Arizona: "Third Friday in March" and North Carolina: "First Friday following March 15th." For most years, the two rules end up being the same day, and they range from 16th to the 21st. The exception is when March 15th is on a Friday. Since North Carolina uses the next Friday after the 15th, it will be on the 22nd. In those years, there are 51 different days to celebrate Arbor Day. Here is a short list of dates showing when Arizona and North Carolina celebrate on a different day.