Welcome

North Carolinians are proud of their trees and the centuries-long relationship they have had with the state's many varieties and expansive forests. In fact, the Tar Heel State earned its nickname from the large quantities of tar and pitch produced with its pine trees from the colonial era through the latter part of the nineteenth century.

Today, the Land of the Long Leaf Pine boasts the fourth highest total forest acreage in the United States, including four diverse national forests, and dozens of heavily wooded state parks and forests. With groups across the state championing the benefits of urban forests, and towns and cities committing more time and resources to education and conservation, North Carolina could become the greenest state in the union—literally.

All of these efforts and all of these trees—from our backyards on the Outer Banks to the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest in the Appalachian Mountains—are meant to be celebrated. While we find cause to appreciate and admire trees year-round, North Carolina Arbor Day is the day set aside each year to celebrate what North Carolinians do for trees, and what trees do for us.