International Day of Forests

International Day of Forests

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When is National Forest Day?
Plus a few more opportunities to celebrate trees.

• International day of Forests falls annually on March 21st
• Johnny Appleseed day falls annually on March 11th
• Arbor day is April 29
• Tu B’Shevat falls on the 15th day of the Hebrew lunisolar calendar, which falls in January-February for the next few years

Read:

• Johnny Slimeseed (ages 8-11)
• Tree Lady (ages 5+)
• 111 Trees (ages 5-8)
• Seeds of Change
• Science Comics: Trees
• Tokyo Digs A Garden

Watch:

The Secret Language of Trees (ages 6+)

What happens if you cut down all a city’s trees? (Ages 8+)

Discover: What’s your city’s Tree Equity Score?

“In cities across America, trees have historically been planted along race and class lines. Ensuring equitable tree cover across every neighborhood can help address social inequities so that all people can thrive.”

Find out your city’s tree equity score – and how it correlates with your neighborhood’s population diversity.

Discuss: The impact of settler-colonist agriculture on native bio-regions.

1. Read Johnny Slimeseed
   1. How did Appleseed’s work affect the safety and health of folks with new access to apples?
      (Bacteria has a harder time growing in cider than standing water.)
   2. What is a conservationist?
      Appleseed spread bitter, ‘spitter’ apples (not the sweet snackin’ kind) across a wide swath of eastern Turtle Island. Probably (hopefully!) crab-apples, which are native to the area. This is NOT the same as the non-native sweet varieties we buy in grocery stores today.
2. Read Miss Rumphius
   1. How do the objectives of Appleseed & Rumphius differ?
      (Rumphius introduced invasive flowers for her own entertainment and colonized a whole damn ecosystem!)
   2. How has environmental colonization impacted our area? Think of wildlife, Indigenous culture, and climate.

Take Action This Spring

1. Find out common endangered and invasive plants local to you using a quick google search.
2. Commit to plant responsibly in relationship within bio-region, not just our personal diets and aesthetic preferences.
3. Identify one invasive species your family can commit to pulling when out and about.
4. Plant one native plant that supports native insects, wildlife, water, and lifeways.
5. Switch your default search engine to Ecosia to plant trees while you search ‘how to get my kid to stop whining’ for the 10,001th time.

More resources to dig deeper:

• Stories about using nature as your classroom
• Kids Books About Intersectional Climate Justice
• Resources for George Washington Carver Day