April is Oregon Arbor Month. Oregon has celebrated Arbor Day for many years. Then, in 2020, Oregon’s Governor proclaimed the entire month of April Arbor Month in order to fit in all the tree-related events that take place throughout the state. 

This year, we’re celebrating Arbor Month with a tree planting at Brown Road Park, an Arbor Day tree planting event at Morningside Park, and an Arbor Month proclamation.

The first Arbor Day in the world took place in 1805 in the small community of Villanueva de la Sierra, Spain. The first Arbor Day in America took place in Nebraska in 1872. An estimated one million trees were planted that month in Nebraska. 

We work year-round to enhance and manage the city’s tree canopy through the following programs: 

•  We have developed a street tree inventory to document and track tree canopy throughout Salem. 

• We have focused tree planting efforts, in partnership with Friends of Trees and Treecology, to increase tree canopy in parks, along streets, and within riparian areas. 

• We are a charter member of Tree City USA in our 46th year of membership. 

• We have also signed on as a founding member of Cities4Forests, a newer initiative focused on the value and benefit of trees in cities and forests across the globe. 

Read more about City tree programs, guidelines, and ordinances on Salem’s website here:

• Apply to Plant, Remove, Treat, or Prune Street Trees
• Can You Remove Trees on Your Property
• Community Forestry Strategic Plan
• How Trees Benefit Our Community
• Know When to Prune and When to Replace Your Tree
• Plant Trees to Improve Salem Streams