Urban Forestry Community Events
Arbor Month
During the month of April, we celebrate Arbor month! Help keep our title of Tree City USA with a variety of green events in April.
Join us for a family-friendly Arbor Day event, local service project, recognition of dedicated Mac Award volunteers, at-home tree activities for the whole family and pop-up arboretums at city parks.
Throughout April, informational signs are posted on select specimen trees or a collection of trees at various community parks. Hone your tree identification skills with these pop-up arboretums, and learn fun facts about your park trees with temporary, educational signs.
Arbor Day is a national observance encouraging tree planting and proper tree care. For more information, visit the National Arbor Day Foundation website at www.arborday.org.
History
Arbor Day is a nationally-celebrated observance that encourages tree planting and tree care. Founded by J. Sterling Morton, National Arbor Day is celebrated each year on the last Friday in April. Today, all 50 states and many Canadian provinces celebrate this holiday every spring, although the actual date of Arbor Day varies from state-to-state due to differences in climate.
The first Arbor Day was celebrated in the state of Nebraska in 1872, in response to a state proclamation urging settlers and homesteaders in that prairie state to plant trees that would provide shade, shelter, fruit, fuel, and beauty for residents of the largely treeless plains. On that first Arbor Day, more than one million trees were planted in Nebraska’s communities and on its farms. The Arbor Day idea was promoted by J. Sterling Morton, editor of the Nebraska City News, who later helped the idea spread to neighboring states and eventually to all of the United States and many other nations.
Pop-Up Arboretum
Explore Pop-Up Arboretum at parks across Vancouver during Arbor Month in April and all summer long.
Our parks have a wonderful assortment of trees worthy of being called an arboretum, or a collection of trees. Informational signs are temporarily installed on select trees at two parks each month during the summer months and during Arbor Month. Hone your tree identification skills and learn fun facts about your park trees.
Explore Fisher Basin Park and Edgewood Park this April, learn more below.
Edgewood Park
This 3-acre neighborhood park is a partnership between the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver School District. Harney Elementary School grounds are adjacent to Edgewood Park.
Fisher Basin Community Park
This 12.3-acre park is a partnership between the City of Vancouver and Evergreen School District. Fisher Basin Community Park includes a playground, sports fields, walking trails and public restrooms.
Old Apple Tree Festival
The annual Old Apple Tree Festival is a celebration centered on the oldest living apple tree in the Northwest, planted at Fort Vancouver in 1826.
This is a free, family-friendly event with activities for children, food for sale, apple tastings and sales, live music, cider pressing and walking tours of Fort Vancouver Village and the Land Bridge.
Celebrate the Old Apple Tree Festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the first Saturday of October at Old Apple Tree Park, located on Columbia Way just east of Interstate 5 Bridge.
Providing family fun, food, music, and history of Vancouver’s Old Apple Tree, the festival celebrates our community and its rich heritage. Throughout the day Urban Forestry Commissioners give away cuttings from the Old Apple Tree; cuttings are limited and will be given out until they are gone.
The festival features community apple cider pressing. Bring your own apples and a clean container to catch your fresh cider. Approximately 12 lbs of apples will make a quart of cider. Volunteers needed for the cider pressing station, contact Urban Forestry to learn more.
For questions about the cider pressing or the festival, contact Urban Forestry at 360-487-8308.
Old Apple Tree History and Lore
In 1830 Clark County’s first apple harvest occurred – one apple. Planted near Fort Vancouver in 1826, the Old Apple Tree is considered the oldest in the Northwest and the matriarch of Washington State’s apple industry.
Learn about it’s modest beginnings, long history, and how it continues to grow and thrive, even after partial failure in 2020, as a tangible reminder of the power of trees to bridge generations and provide continuity between the past and the future. By planting trees today, we leave a legacy for future generations to enjoy. Trees greatly enhance our quality of life here in Vancouver by beautifying our neighborhoods and parks, cleaning the air and water, and providing numerous other environmental, social and economic benefits.
Call 360-487-8308 or email for festival details and additional information on the Old Apple Tree.