Arbor day around the world

Australia
Arbor Day has been observed in Australia since 20 June 1889. National Schools Tree Day is held on the last Friday
of July for schools and National Tree Day the last Sunday in July throughout Australia. Many states have Arbor Day,
although Victoria has an Arbor Week, which was suggested by Premier Rupert (Dick) Hamer in the 1980s.

Belgium
International Day of Treeplanting is celebrated in Flanders on or around 21 March as a theme-day/educational-
day/observance, not as a public holiday. Tree planting is sometimes combined with awareness campaigns of the
fight against cancer: Kom Op Tegen Kanker.

Canada
The day was founded by Sir George W. Ross, later the Premier of Ontario, when he was Minister of Education in
Ontario (1883-1899). According to the Ontario Teachers' Manuals "History of Education" (1915), Ross established
both Arbour Day and Empire Day - "the former to give the school children an interest in making and keeping the
school grounds attractive, and the latter to inspire the children with a spirit of patriotism" (p. 222). This predates the
claimed founding of the day by Don Clark of Schomberg, Ontario for his wife Margret Clark in 1906. In
Canada, National Forest Week is the last full week of September, and National Tree Day (Maple Leaf Day) falls on
the Wednesday of that week.[10] Ontario celebrates Arbour Week from the last Friday in April to the first Sunday in
May.[11] Prince Edward Island celebrates Arbour Day on the third Friday in May during Arbour Week. Arbour Day is
the longest running civic greening project in Calgary and is celebrated on the first Thursday in May. On this day,
each grade 1 student in Calgary's schools receives a tree seedling to be taken home to be planted on private
property.

India
Van Mahotsav is an annual pan-Indian tree planting festival, occupying a week in the month of July. During this
event millions of trees are planted. It was initiated in 1950 by K. M. Munshi, the then Union Minister for Agriculture
and Food, to create an enthusiasm in the mind of the populace for the conservation of forests and planting of trees.
The name Van Mahotsava (the festival of trees) originated in July 1947 after a successful tree-planting drive was
undertaken in Delhi, in which national leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr Rajendra Prasad and Abul Kalam
Azad participated. Paryawaran Sachetak Samiti, a leading environmental organization conducts mass events and
activities on this special day celebration each year. The week was simultaneously celebrated in a number of states
in the country.

Iran
In Iran, it is known as "National Tree Planting Day". By the Solar Hijri calendar, it is on the fifteenth day of the
month Esfand, which usually corresponds with March 5. This day is the first day of the "Natural Recyclable
Resources Week" (March 5 to 12).
This is the time when the saplings of the all kinds in terms of different climates of different parts of Iran are shared
among the people. They are also taught how to plant trees.[22]
 Arbor day around the world
Israel
The Jewish holiday Tu Bishvat, the new year for trees, is on the 15th day of the month of Shvat, which usually falls
in January or February. Originally based on the date used to calculate the age of fruit trees for tithing as mandated
in Leviticus 19:23–25, the holiday now is most often observed by planting trees or raising money to plant trees,
[23]
 and by eating fruit, specifically grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates. [24] Tu Bishvat is a semi-official
holiday in Israel; schools are open but Hebrew-speaking schools often go on tree-planting excursions.

Korea
North Korea marks "Tree Planting Day" on March 2, when people across the country plant trees. This day is
considered to combine traditional Asian cultural values with the country's dominant Communist ideology. [25][26][27]
In South Korea, April 5, Singmogil or Sikmogil (식목일), the Arbor Day, was a public holiday until 2005. Even though
Singmogil is no longer an official holiday, the day is still celebrated, with the South Korean public continuing to take
part in tree-planting activities.[28][29]

Netherlands
Since conference and of the Food and Agriculture Organization's publication World Festival of Trees, and a
resolution of the United Nations in 1954: "The Conference, recognising the need of arousing mass consciousness of
the aesthetic, physical and economic value of trees, recommends a World Festival of Trees to be celebrated
annually in each member country on a date suited to local conditions"; it has been adopted by the Netherlands. In
1957, the National Committee Day of Planting Trees/Foundation of National Festival of Trees (Nationale
Boomplantdag/Nationale Boomfeestdag) was created.
On the third Wednesday in March each year (near the spring equinox), three quarters of Dutch schoolchildren aged
10/11 and Dutch celebrities plant trees. Stichting Nationale Boomfeestdag organizes all the activities in the
Netherlands for this day. Some municipalities however plant the trees around 21 September because of the planting
season.[34]
In 2007, the 50th anniversary was celebrated with special golden jubilee activities.

New Zealand
New Zealand’s first Arbor Day planting was on 3 July 1890 at Greytown, in the Wairarapa.[35] The first official
celebration was scheduled to take place in Wellington in August 2012, with the planting of pohutukawa and Norfolk
pines along Thorndon Esplanade.[35]
Prominent New Zealand botanist Dr Leonard Cockayne worked extensively on native plants throughout New
Zealand and wrote many notable botanical texts. As early as the 1920s he held a vision for school students of New
Zealand to be involved in planting native trees and plants in their school grounds. This vision bore fruit and schools
in New Zealand have long planted native trees on Arbor Day.
Since 1977, New Zealand has celebrated Arbor Day on 5 June, which is also World Environment Day. Prior to then,
Arbor Day was celebrated on 4 August, which is rather late in the year for tree planting in New Zealand, hence the
date change.
Many of the Department of Conservation's Arbor Day activities focus on ecological restoration projects using native
plants to restore habitats that have been damaged or destroyed by humans or invasive pests and weeds. There are
great restoration projects underway around New Zealand and many organisations including community groups,
landowners, conservation organisations, iwi, volunteers, schools, local businesses, nurseries and councils are
involved in them. These projects are part of a vision to protect and restore the indigenous biodiversity.