Holden Forests & Gardens celebrates Arbor Day


Get ready to show your love of trees Arbor Day this Friday, April 28, the day set aside for the planting, upkeep, preservation, and celebration of trees.

Holden Forests & Gardens celebrates the planting and care of trees every day of the year through the Cleveland Botanical Garden and the Holden Arboretum, but the celebration heightens during the month of April when spring is in the air.

Trees provide many health benefits and improve the wellbeing of entire neighborhoods. Trees improve public health by providing oxygen, filtering the air, and reducing stress, which has been linked to reductions in asthma and heart disease. 

Additionally, trees calm traffic and cool sidewalks and streets, making neighborhoods safer and more walkable, while also increasing business traffic and home values. 

Trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to combat climate change while also saving on heating and cooling. Trees filter and retain stormwater and prevent soil erosion, which keeps our rivers and Lake Erie cleaner. And trees provide a habitat for birds and pollinators. 

Make this the year you join in celebration of planting trees. Start with free admission to the Cleveland Botanical Garden and the Holden Arboretum this Friday, April 28.

Enjoy the day immersed in nature at either campus. The Cleveland Botanical Garden will be open from 10a.m. to 5p.m. and the Holden Arboretum will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission tickets are not required.  

Trees provide many health benefits and improve the wellbeing of entire neighborhoodsTrees provide many health benefits and improve the wellbeing of entire neighborhoodsObserve Arbor Day  with these Holden Forests & Gardens activities:

Give a tree a new home with free seedling giveaways at the Botanical Garden from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and at the Holden Arboretum. The tree seedlings that will be distributed are Scarlet oak. Once you receive your free seedling, be sure to pledge the People for Trees campaign to plant and care for 15,000 new trees in Northeast Ohio by 2025.  

Donate to Arbor Day of Giving during one of Holden Forests & Gardens’ most important fundraising days of the year. The goal is to raise $85,000 for Arbor Day of Giving 2023 in support of the organization’s work in science, conservation, community forestry, horticulture, and education.

To help the campaign along, Holden Forests & Gardens board member Roy Minoff has with match up to $25,000 in donations. An anonymous donor is also matching $5,000. By supporting Arbor Day of Giving, you are doubling the impact of your donation. Give online.

Learn how to plant a tree as a gift to future generations. Learn the basics of tree planting at Holden Arboretum today, Thursday, April 27 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. This class will cover when to plant trees in our region, and how to care for newly planted trees. The group will walk to the Helen S. Layer Rhododendron Garden for some hands-on experience planting a dawn redwood. Registration is required.

Two new Jesse Owens Olympic Oak Trees, grafted from the original trees Jesse Owens received for bringing home gold medals during the 1936 Olympic Games, will be planted in the next week. The first planting will be on Friday, April 28 at League Park, 6601 Lexington Ave. in partnership with the City of Cleveland. The second planting will be on Friday, May 5 at East Tech High School, 2439 E. 55th St., in partnership with Cleveland Metropolitan School District.  

Pledge People for Trees, as Holden Forests & Gardens enters its third year of its campaign to have 15,000 trees planted in Northeast Ohio by 2025. Already, more than 10,000 trees have been pledged, planted, and given away. Share your love of nature and invite a friend, neighbor, and family member to pledge.