Three cheers for the trees

A flurry of activities engaging hundreds of people spilled out onto the vast lawns of the Planting Fields last weekend with one objective in mind — to celebrate Arbor Day, a state holiday that honors trees.

Believe it or not, Arbor Day dates back to 1872, when it became official in Nebraska because that state was treeless. Over 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska on the first Arbor Day, and it’s impossible to estimate how many have been planted nationwide ever since. The planting and taking care of trees has defined Arbor Day since that day so many years ago.

Each year, the Planting Fields takes the holiday up a notch, holding the Arbor Day Family Festival. Held last weekend, some of the festivities included live music, a unicycle show and a visit by Smokey Bear. Assisted by a brass band, he led the way to the area where young and old chipped in to plant a cherry tree, which was donated by the Nassau Suffolk Landscapers Gardeners Association.

“This is our first time here,” said Jeannine Lanese, of Locust Valley, who brought her two children. “It is such a beautiful day and this is a wonderful event. It gets everyone outside and everything is popping.”

Meanwhile, in a side room at the Hay Barn, people stopped to look at the unusual and strikingly beautiful bonsais that the Long Island Bonsai Society brought along.

“Bonsai is like Zen art,” said Jim Stopfer, pointing at a nearby tree. “A lot of people don’t know anything about bonsai and don’t have an opportunity to look at the really good stuff.”

There were more educational opportunities inside the main area of the Hay Barn. Suzanne Kreuz, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was speaking to people about the Asian longhorned beetle, which is infesting many trees in New York City and Suffolk County.

“We found 500 newly infested trees around Republic Airport,” Kreuz said. “We are hoping that by telling people from other areas about the problem they will call us if they see the signs that they have longhorned beetles. Unfortunately, any tree with this beetle will have to come down.”

But the day wasn’t all about education. Children were able to have their faces painted, climb trees and laugh at the Mutts Gone Nuts Variety Show. Representatives from the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and the Audubon Center were there with a corn snake and some turtles, and members of Cornell Cooperative were available to offer advice on how to plant the seedlings people were taking home.

The Arbor Day Family Festival was good old-fashioned fun. And it was a great way to celebrate trees, appreciate what they do to enhance our lives and take a moment to look around and marvel at just how much they beautify Oyster Bay.