Arbor Day & important California native trees for a changing climate

April 2023 Plant Availability

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Greetings,

Happy spring! National Arbor Day is April 28th this year, so for this month’s inventory newsletter we’re digging into the history of Arbor Day and why it’s celebrated. Additionally we’ll be highlighting some of our favorite California native tree species to hopefully inspire you to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees in the spirit of the Arbor Day legacy!

What is Arbor Day and how did it begin?

Arbor Day is a holiday for celebrating nature and encouraging people to plant trees. Arbor day is observed by all 50 states and typically falls on the last Friday of April each year, although some states observe it on other dates that better coincide with their local area’s ideal planting times. While most holidays are observed in celebration or remembrance of events past, Arbor Day represents hope for the future and the health of our planet. Its purpose is to encourage people to plant trees, and many communities take the opportunity to organize mass tree planting events on or around the holiday.

Arbor Day first took place in Nebraska on April 10th, 1872 thanks to the work of J. Sterling Morton, a newspaper editor, eventual secretary of Nebraska, and ardent proponent of forestation. Like many of the pioneers that moved to the Nebraska territory, the lack of trees there was felt deeply by J. Sterling Morton so he lobbied for a holiday to encourage the planting of trees. Morton’s enthusiasm for trees stemmed from the value he saw in them, including but not limited to: windbreaks to keep soil in place, fuel and building materials, and shade from the hot sun. By 1885, Arbor Day was named a legal state holiday in Nebraska, and Morton’s birthday–April 22nd–was selected as its permanent annual observance date in his honor. By 1920 more than 45 states passed legislation to observe Arbor Day each year. A tree planting tradition became prominent in schools across the nation, with children learning about the importance of trees and receiving their own tree to plant each Arbor Day. Today, Arbor Day is celebrated by all 50 states and similar holidays are celebrated around the globe with communities gathering each year to celebrate trees and to plant for a greener tomorrow. The Arbor Day Foundation was created in 1972 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first Arbor Day, and has since planted more than 10 million trees each year!

The importance of trees in today’s changing climate

While the climate crisis that we are now facing will take many solutions working together to make a difference, trees are a proven natural and affordable way to pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Carbon sequestration (the storage of carbon from the atmosphere into plant biomass and the soil in the form of organic carbon) is done by all plants during photosynthesis, but those with big trunks and deep, thick roots store carbon more effectively. Due to the larger size and relatively longer life spans of trees, they are able to lock away much more carbon and do so in a more permanent way than smaller shrubs and herbaceous plants. Not all trees are created equal when it comes to carbon sequestration though– generally evergreen trees are able to sequester more carbon than their deciduous counterparts since they are able to photosynthesize for a greater portion of the year, fast growing tree species are able to store carbon more quickly than slower growing species, and long-lived species are able to store carbon for much longer than species with shorter lifespans. Luckily for us, California native trees in particular are some of the best carbon sinks that exist!

Below are the best of the best California native tree species that are highly efficient at sequestering carbon and would make fantastic choices for an Arbor Day planting 😉

Coast Live Oak

Quercus agrifolia

Available in TP4 pots for $13.00 each!

The large canopies, hard wood, and long lifespan of oaks make them the most efficient genus of trees when it comes to carbon sequestration
The coast live oak is especially efficient at carbon sequestration due to their extensive root systems adapted for drought tolerance, plus this species is evergreen and long-lived too!
Their root systems consist of several deep main roots that can tap groundwater up to 36 ft. deep as well as horizontal roots and surface feeding roots that allow this species to excel at stabilizing slopes
Coast live oaks grow from 40 – 100 ft. tall (space 35 ft. apart)
This species has more wildlife associated with it than any other tree in California!
It is important not to water oaks in the summer

Bigleaf Maple

Acer macrophyllum

Available in D40 pots for $9.90 each and TB4 pots for $14.30 each!

Deciduous
Grows 40 – 100 ft. tall, making it suitable for large gardens and parks
Space at least 40 ft. apart
Flowers March to May
Provides valuable shelter for wildlife
Squirrels and chipmunks relish its seeds
If properly watered, young trees establish fast, growing more than 3 ft. per year (faster growing trees = more carbon pulled out of the atmosphere in a shorter period of time)
Fairly drought tolerant once established
Goes dormant earlier in the year on dry slopes
Best pruned during dormancy to remove dead or crossing branches

Coast Redwood

Sequoia sempervirens

Available in D40’s for $9.00 – $9.90 each, TB4’s for $13.00 – $14.30 each, and 5gal’s for $35 each!

Redwood trees sequester carbon better than just about any other species on the planet
Many of us know and love Coast Redwoods for their beautifully vibrant and feathery evergreen foliage highlighted by cinnamon colored fibrous bark (which is rot and fire resistant!)
Coast Redwoods are the world’s tallest tree and the official state tree of California
They are fast growing, reaching 50 to 90 feet in 25 years with favorable conditions
Redwoods are extremely long-lived trees, typically living for thousands of years, which makes them especially valuable as a source of long-term carbon storage
have incredibly durable rot and fire resistant wood
Space 15-30 ft. apart and give regular water
This species prefers humidity and does best with a heavy mulching to maintain moisture

Stay Safe, ‘Bee’ Well, and Go Natives!

Happy Planting! From all of us at The Watershed Nursery.

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