Yale's Celebration of Arbor Day

Yale Arbor Day graphic.

Since 2022, Yale University has proudly been recognized as a Tree Campus by the National Arbor Day Foundation. This program promotes planting, nurturing, and celebrating trees on campus and beyond. Yale meets the program’s five vigorous standards, including an annual celebration, enhancing learning about trees along with fostering environmental leadership and community resilience. Join us in celebrating National Arbor Day with activity suggestions listed below, and don’t forget to hug your favorite tree!

Tree Planters and Trail Blazers

Explore campus and regional trails to connect with nature, fresh spring air, and seasonal wildlife. Take your appreciation for the outdoors a step further by helping grow a greener community. Through Yale’s Urban Resources Initiative, New Haven residents and businesses can request a free street tree in front of their home or workplace.

Two people and child working together to plant a tree.

Dig deep: plant trees

Volunteer to plant trees to recognize Yale staff members celebrating milestone anniversaries on May 16, 9 a.m. – noon. (We will let you know the location by email after registration.

Register for Tree Planting

Just for teams

Go wild with a round of Spring Trivia at your next staff meeting to test your team’s knowledge of trees and nature.

Details on how to play.

Engage, Exhale, & Explore

A collection of activities and resources invites our community to connect with nature in engaging, restorative, and meaningful ways. Whether you’re seeking creative ways to build team spirit, mindfulness, or deeper environmental knowledge, there’s something here for everyone.

The Strength of Trees

A group photo collage and reflection.

April 24, 11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. via Zoom

Join Danielle Casioppo, certified Mindfulness-based Strengths Practice instructor and Nature Immersion Meditation leader with Being Well at Yale/Employee Well-being, for an informal group reflection and discussion. This will be an opportunity for employees to reflect on the strengths and positive attributes of trees in their life, going beyond what trees provide biologically (air to breathe, shade, timber, etc.). Participants are encouraged to share their knowledge or personal experience with trees, including spiritual experiences. Those who register before April 22 will have the opportunity to share a photo or meaningful image of a tree or trees if they wish. Danielle will be creating a collage of the meaningful photos/images to share with the group.

Please note that this session will not be recorded.

Registration: (a yale.edu email address is required for registration)

Learn more

Yale continues to lead in environmental research and urban sustainability. Explore these opportunities to learn more:

Yale Forest Forum Spring 2026 Speaker Series: From Timber to Tomorrow: Old Challenges, New Pressures, Changing Paradigms

Read On a Warming Planet, Urban Trees Become Critical Infrastructure, recommended by Yale’s Office of Sustainability.

Listen to A Tree’s View of History: A Conversation with Lacy M. Johnson, featuring Mary Evelyn Tucker at the Yale School of the Environment.

Discover Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy—and his latest, The Nature of Oaks. Visit Tallamy’s website for additional talks and resources.

Explore the free app iNaturalist and follow the Beyond Your Backdoor blog to tap into your inner citizen scientist.