THE AMERICAN TREE ASSOCIATION 53 



The trees planted by its members are registered by the Association. 

 They number many times the membership, however, since many 

 volunteers for the tree planting army keep in training by planting more 

 trees. No draft law is needed to swell the ranks. Clubs, schools, 

 civic organizations and corporations have cooperated with the Asso- 

 ciation in furthering the program of tree-planting. Newspapers and 

 business firms have given away seedling trees, and those who have 

 received the young trees and planted them have been enrolled in the 

 Association's army of good citizenship. 



During the past year the General Federation of Women's Clubs 

 has cooperated with the American Tree Association in its work. 

 Every club a member of the Federation has been sent tree-day pro- 

 grams and tree planting suggestions. In some states this cooperation 

 has extended to the offering of prizes by the state officials to the 

 clubs planting the most trees. The members of these groups have 

 been enrolled in the tree planting army. 



One appeal made by the American Tree Association that has 

 met nation-wide response has been that to celebrate the centennial 

 of Arbor Day in 1972 by planting trees now. The vision that prompted 

 this thought a vision of valuable and beautiful trees at or near 

 maturity when the one hundredth anniversary of the first Arbor Day 

 arrives has been widely applauded in the press and by far-seeing 

 citizens generally. The editors of the country, seeing the educational 

 possibilities of such a call, have furthered it in every way possible. 



One phase of tree planting that the American Tree Association 

 has successfully and widely sponsored has been that of memorial 

 trees, groves and parks. It fostered the idea of Roads of Remem- 

 brance. While the Association has not sought to place the memorial 

 tree above all other memorial plans or ideas, it points out the par- 

 ticular fitness of a growing, living tree as a symbol. It does, however, 

 urge that whatever form of memorial there be established, it be given 

 the proper setting of memorial trees, in the planting of which the 

 entire community may have a part. 



The result of many of these memorial plantings has been the 

 beautification of many spots long neglected in thousands of towns 

 throughout the country. Waste places were cleaned up. Creek and 

 river fronts were beautified and walks and drives put in so that what 

 one municipality did a neighbor was almost sure to copy. 



