Arbor Day - April 30, 2021

By Katy Trame, Team Found.

The owner of Found has memories of planting trees on Arbor Day as a child and of her Grandpa Berg grafting a tree in their backyard with five different kinds of apples -  on one tree! With Arbor Day approaching, living in a place nicknamed “Tree Town'', and that memory from Mary, got us thinking about the origins of Ann Arbor and this annual celebration.  

Back in January of 1824, John Allen and Elisha Walker Rumsey founded what we know as Ann Arbor. Figuring out a name for what would eventually become a beautiful college campus and one of the best cities, they took to love and nature for inspiration. Coincidentally, both of their wives names were Ann, so naturally they had to pay homage to that, bringing us the “Ann” of “Ann Arbor.” To this day, Ann Arbor lives up to its name, with the nickname of “Tree Town” given to the city.

One of the most loved parts about Ann Arbor is all of the lovely parks and nature that surround the city. One can go for a walk through Kerrytown to shop, then shortly after go to the river and feel isolated from the city. Some of the best activities to do in Ann Arbor have to do with getting closer to the trees, like walking through the Arb or going through a bike trail.

It’s no surprise that Arbor Day would be loved and celebrated here. Arbor Day, much like Earth day, celebrates nature. It’s purpose is to encourage people to plant trees, and traditionally many communities and schools get involved in this to organize tree planting, often to honor the memory of a loved one. The city of Ann Arbor is celebrating Arbor Day this year by giving away free trees to residents to plant on private property from April 30 to May 2. There was such high demand that all of this year’s trees are spoken for, but it’s the perfect weekend to visit a local nursery and find a new tree for your yard. Find more ways to celebrate Arbor Day at www.arborday.org.