Concern for Future Generations
Jewish tradition encourages the planting of trees, partly as an expression of concern for future generations. Even before the Jewish people entered the Land of Israel to take possession, they were told to plant trees. As it says in the Babylonian Talmud:

"The Holy One, Blessed Be He, said to the people of Israel: Even though you will find the land bountiful, do not decide to sit and not sow. Rather, be very diligent in sowing. Just as you found planting done by others when you arrived, so are you to plant for future generations. Lest an old man say, 'I am old now and how many years do I have ahead of me? Why am I toiling so hard for the benefit of others?' For this reason, man should not be lazy in sowing. Just as he found growth, so shall he continue the chain of life for the future." - Midrash Tanchuma, Kedoshim

After the Exile
Once there were forests that covered the length and breadth of Eretz Yisrael. After the destruction of the Second Holy Temple (70 CE), these ancient forests were gradually destroyed during the years that the Jews were in exile. The land became parched and yellow. With the return of the early pioneers to Palestine in the 19th century, land proclamation and afforestation became driving ideals for the new settlers.

These early chalutzim worked days and nights to revive the land and the nation. This labor included the arduous job of clearing dunam upon dunam of heavy rocks, draining malarian-ridden swamps and planting seedlings where the land had become barren.

A New Custom for Tu B'Shvat
It was only a matter of time when Tu B'Shvat, a minor holiday that was generally neglected amongst secular-minded settlers, would be recognized as the natural time to launch tree planting events. The first Tu B'shvat Tree Planting Ceremony apparently took place in a moshavah, Yisud Hama'alah, in 1884. Hundreds of trees, including 700 etrog (citron) trees, were planted.

The day was established as the official Tree Planting Holiday in 1908 by the Teacher's union. School children from the Jewish schools in Jaffa went to the nearby Mikveh Yisrael agricultural school to plant trees. The first trees in their new home - which was to become Tel Aviv - were planted in 1910.

Jewish National Fund
Since the establishment of the State of Israel, reforestation has been handled by the Jewish National Fund (JNF). Thousands upon thousands of dunams have been planted. In fact, the JNF has been one of the central instruments of the Zionist movement in acquiring land for settlement and afforestation. One of the most moving occasions in the annals of the JNF was the planting of the Defenders' Forest as a memorial for fighters who fell in the War of Independence. David Ben Gurion, Israel's first Prime Minister, was given the honor of planting the first sapling.

Incidentally, this was also the day when Israel's parliament, the Knesset, was opened. Since then the Knesset's anniversary is also celebrated on Tu B'Shvat.

Do you want to plant a tree?