International Arbor Day
International Arbor Day is the oldest environmental awareness celebration and ecological enhancement project carried on by humans on the planet. The first Arbor Day was held over 2,000 years ago according to the Holy Bible and Quran. American history records that the term "Arbor Day" began in 1872 in Nebraska at the suggestion of Pioneer J. Sterling Morton who was active in government and agriculture during the period. In 2022, the 150th Anniversary of Arbor Day in America, Ecology Crossroads celebrated Arbor Day and Earth Day together with the planting of 10,000 trees in the Northern Amazon as part of an ecological restoration program.
Arbor Day | Tree Planting Day
Arbor Day (or Arbour in some countries) is a secular day of observance in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees. Today, many countries observe this holiday. Though usually observed in the spring, the date varies, depending on climate and suitable planting season. There has been much controversy internationally as to the source and origin of the observance which is legally defined in more than 100 countries around the world.
Ecology Crossroads Arbor Day
International (National) Arbor Day in 1995 became a controversial holiday when Col. David Wright of Ecology Crossroads entered the tree plating game with free 'Community Tree Programs' by distributing surplus trees from forestry tree farmers in Pennsylvania and Tennessee. As early as 1990, Wright was distributing a pick-up truck full of trees each Spring to enhance his environmental awareness events which he held in large shopping malls or in their parking lots with local environmental organizations up and down the Mid-Atlantic United States, by 1995 Wright was distributing tractor trailer loads with 150,000 to 300,000 trees per location.
In 1996 the National Arbor Day Foundation (NADF) in Nebraska heard that Ecology Crossroads was ruining their reputation by giving away 2-5 foot tree saplings that were much larger, leafier and healthier using the legal trade name 'Arbor Day' from Kentucky with an Internet presence using the domain names ARBORDAY.COM and FREETREES.COM. The NADF alleged that Ecology Crossroads was confusing the public by using the term Arbor Day, which was established in US Law annually with proclamations dating back before their existence as an organization. Ecology Crossroads defended the lawsuit well, they established in fact that the term "ARBOR DAY" was too descriptive and generic to serve as a trademark for the NADF because it is in the public domain. The NADF stood by their alternative of copyrighting and trademarking the term to represent a periodical publication and also shortened their name by removing the word 'National' in 2000 when the case was settled with a five year non-competition agreement and the NADF paying all the legal costs plus an undisclosed sum.
