Arbor Day 2024: How to plant the best tree to combat climate change

The conversation surrounding climate change action can often feel too lofty for individuals to have a measurable impact, but on this Arbor Day, change can begin at the root.

Planting trees in honor of Arbor Day is a longstanding American tradition that dates back to 1872, and while climate and landscape factors have changed since the holiday's inception, the motivation remains crucial.

"There has never been a more important time to be planting trees than right now," Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation, told ABC News ahead of the annual holiday.

"As we look at our changing climate and extreme heat, as we look at the challenges in our cities and towns, planting a tree on Arbor Day is one of the simple things people can do to be a part of a solution for their neighborhood, for their community and for the planet," Lambe said.

In one year, a mature tree can absorb half a Metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent from the atmosphere, according to the National Forest Foundation.

Across the country, U.S. forests offset 16% of greenhouse gases emitted from transportation, industrial heating and other climate polluters, according to the foundation.

When was Arbor Day established?

The history of Arbor Day dates back to 1872 in Nebraska when a local newspaper editor named J. Sterling Morton proposed a tree-planting holiday at a State Board of Agriculture meeting, according to the Arbor Day Foundation.

Trees offer building materials and fuel and act as windbreaks to keep soil in place for agriculture, and in Nebraska, the lack of ground cover was detrimental, according to the foundation.

Later that year, the first official Arbor Day was celebrated on April 10, 1872, where prizes were offered to communities and individuals who could plant the most trees in a single day, according to the foundation, which notes an estimated 1 million trees were planted.

Fast-forward to 2024, Arbor Day is now celebrated across all 50 U.S. states and traditionally falls on the last Friday of April every year.

Understanding hardiness zones

Planting trees that will have the best chance at sustained growth means understanding the native landscape and its challenges in your local environment.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the standard to determine which perennial plants are most likely to thrive at a location, according to the agency.

The interactive map, where individuals can input their local zip code to determine the hardiness of the area, is based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

There are 13 zones on the USDA map, with the first being the coldest and zone 13 being the hottest. On average, there is a 10-degree temperature difference between each zone.

"Hardiness zones are really a reflection of temperature extremes," Dr. Gary Chastagner, Professor of Plant Pathology at Washington State University, told ABC News. "There's a common term that is used, 'plant the right tree in the right place,'" Chastagner said.

To find the right tree and the right place, Chastagner and the Arbor Day Foundation recommend taking tree height, canopy spread, growth rate and the tree's sun, soil and moisture requirements into consideration before planting.

Using southern California as an example, trees need to be drought-resistant, adaptable to different types of soil and able to withstand oak root fungus, which is a common disease-producing fungus found in much of California.

The recommended trees for Southern California's hardiness zones include river birch, Layland Cyprus, lacebark elm, silver maple, American sweetgum and hackberry, according to the Arbor Day Foundation.

Across the country in Michigan, the hardiness zone determines a different set of trees that can survive and thrive in the region.

Norway spruce, American mountain ash, weeping willows, mugo pine and shellbark hickory are just a few examples of trees that are best equipped to survive and thrive in the Great Lake State.

"It's important for people in Michigan to know they shouldn't be planting palm trees as much as they might love palm trees," Lambe joked. "Likewise, down in Florida, you don't want to be planting trees that are gonna be thriving up in the Upper Midwest."

With hardiness zones in mind, Professor Chastagner recommends diversity among tree species for the best chance at resiliency.

"Don't plant a monoculture of the exact same species, because if you do, the landscape may not be as resilient in the face of climate change, or if you have an invasive pest that comes in, all those trees are susceptible," Chastagner explained.

To learn what trees are best to plant in your specific area visit the Arbor Day Foundation's online tree finder tool.

Protecting natural forests

In addition to local tree planting, this Arbor Day it is important to recognize the role natural forests play in mitigating the effects of climate change.

"Protecting existing forests is one of the most cost-effective ways to mitigate climate change, by keeping emissions and carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere," Aaron Paul, vice president of Aurora Sustainable Lands, told ABC News.

Forests and woodlands cover more than 822 million acres of land in the United States, about 36% of the country's total land, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Forests absorb carbon as they grow and act as a carbon storage "bank" that helps to offset fossil fuel emissions, according to the agency, which notes, that if trees are cut or burned, a forest temporarily releases part of this stored carbon to the atmosphere.

Aurora Sustainable Lands is the largest manager of natural-born forests in the United States, managing 1.65 million acres of forestlands in 17 states.

This Arbor Day, Paul stressed the importance of maintaining natural forests, minimizing land use change, and putting restrictions on industrial expansion.

"It's most important to keep front of mind just what an effective climate resistant and climate mitigation tool forests are," Paul said. "We need climate impact now, we need emission reduction now and trees have been doing that for millions of years."