On Jan. 15, cities across the state celebrated Florida Arbor Day. Officially, Florida Arbor Day is the third Friday in January. We celebrate Arbor Day early in Florida compared to the annual celebration on the last Friday in April. Why is this? Due to our warmer climate, deciduous trees (trees that drop leaves annually) are in a dormant state.
This means that they experience less stress during transplant. Less stress increases the chances of establishment and survival. Since we do not have to worry about frozen ground, like our neighbors to the north, we are able to plant earlier in the year.