Trees are amazing living things.

They can live for hundreds of years, they can grow under all kinds of extreme conditions and they quietly cleanse CO2 from our atmosphere and provide us with oxygen.

They sway in the breeze, freeze in the winter and offer us welcome shade on a hot summer’s day. Trees give us everything from a perch for our childhood clubhouse to the wood in our pencils to the heat in our fireplace.

We should celebrate trees every day of the year, but the official holiday to honor these leafy wonders is Arbor Day.

The name Arbor Day comes from the Latin word “arbor” which means tree.

This holiday is dedicated to the planting and care of trees and it originated in Nebraska in 1872.

The holiday is observed in the springtime and the date changes according to the suitable planting conditions. In 2012, Arbor Day will be held on April 27th.

Here are a few ideas of what you can do on Arbor Day: