With the signing of a proclamation today, June 1 will now be celebrated every year as Arbor Day in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Honourable Charlene Johnson, along with representatives from Landscape Newfoundland and Labrador, marked the beginning of Environment Week 2009 in the province with the official proclamation signing, followed by a tree planting on the grounds of Confederation Building.

"Environment Week is the time we place a heightened emphasis on our natural heritage and raise awareness on how we must work co-operatively to ensure our environment sustains for countless generations to come," said the Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister of Environment and Conservation. "I am delighted to join with community partners like Landscape Newfoundland and Labrador to designate Arbor Day in the province."

To commemorate the first Arbor Day in Newfoundland and Labrador, the minister planted a tree near the West Block of Confederation Building.

"It is important that our business community and government work side-by-side to promote environmental sustainability throughout the province," said Cle Newhook, Executive Director of Landscape Newfoundland and Labrador. "As leaders, we must also be environmental stewards, and the proclamation of Arbor Day is a wonderful means to highlight this stewardship. We cannot undervalue the importance that trees have in our ecosystems, and, from a broader perspective, on our environment overall."

Arbor Day was founded by J. Sterling Morton, a pioneer from Nebraska, United States, who proposed a holiday for tree planting in the 1870s. Nebraska was essentially a treeless state at the time, and the proposal was adopted. The observance spread to other states and, eventually, to other countries. While Arbor Day is celebrated every year on the last Friday in April in the United States, other countries have adopted dates that coincide with ideal tree planting times for the particular area. The customary observance is to plant a tree.

Every year, Canadian Environment Week takes place the first week of June to coincide with World Environment Day. It was designated by the United Nations in 1972 to empower people from every corner of the globe to become involved in, and focus upon, sustainable practices. This year, Canadian Environment Week is celebrated from May 31-June 6.

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Photo: A proclamation was signed to declare June 1 as Arbor Day in Newfoundland and Labrador.  Participating in the proclamation signing were (left to right):  Landscape Newfoundland and Labrador President Anthony O�Neill; the Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister of Environment and Conservation; and Cle Newhook, Executive Director, Landscape Newfoundland and Labrador.

Media contact:

Melony O�Neill
Director of Communications
Department of Environment and Conservation
709-729-2575, 689-0928
moneill@gov.nl.ca 

2009 06 01                                                   2:45 p.m.