Lake Worth Tree Festival February 18th

PRESS RELEASE
FOR RELEASE UPON RECEIPT
CITY OF LAKE WORTH
7 NORTH DIXIE HIGHWAY
LAKE WORTH, FL 33460
LAKEWORTH.ORG

January 27, 2017

Contact:          David McGrew
Phone:             561.586.1677
Email:              dmcgrew@lakeworth.org

City of Lake Worth Annual Festival of Trees

The Lake Worth City Tree Board will hold its 12th Annual Festival of Trees on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.at the Cultural Plaza, 414 Lake Avenue (between Lake & Lucerne Avenues and M Street & Federal Hwy)

Admission is free and everyone is welcome.  The theme this year is “Birds, Bees and Trees: how planting and properly caring for South Florida native trees, shrubs and ground-cover can serve as quality habitat for birds, bees, insects and butterflies.”

“At the Festival of Trees, you can buy native trees and plants from local nurseries and representatives from native nurseries can share information and advice as well as answer questions you may have about proper plant placement and tree pruning,” said David McGrew, City of Lake Worth Horticulturalist and staff liaison to the Tree Board.

A series of talks will take place on the Festival stage. 

At 10:30 a.m., Melissa Mcgaughey-Moyroud, proprietor of Lorax Designs - a 17-year old landscape design firm specializing in Florida natives, edibles, butterfly gardens, composting, pesticide & fungicide-free landscapes and minimal irrigation, will speak about the top 5 small native trees best suited for downtown Lake Worth (flowering, full sun, full shade, butterfly/ hummingbird, low care).  Lorax Designs has been awarded the Broward County NatureScape Emerald Award twice (2005, 2013) and the Florida Native Plant Society State Award for Professional Landscape in 2006.

At 11 a.m., Andy Tellier, who has a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture at Western Kentucky University, founded Arbor Experts 14 years ago and currently serves as the consulting arborist at the Norton Museum of Art, will speak about the Ficus altissima preservation project recently performed for the City of Lake Worth. 

At noon, Christen Mason, who serves as Chair of the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council and works as an invasive species biologist with the South Florida Water Management District, will speak about removing invasive exotics on residential lots.  At work Ms. Mason develops and co-ordinates restoration plans and manages invasive plant removal. 

At 12:30 p.m., Stephen J Byers, from Bee Healthy Honey Farms a bonafide bee farm located in unincorporated West Delray Beach hobby to business, will speak about getting started as a beekeeper and how beekeeping can grow from a hobby to a business.

Pam Triolo will read the Arbor Day proclamation at 1 p.m. and Downtown Dance Lake Worth will perform immediately afterward.

Children activities - making natural bird feeders - will take place at the Audubon Society of the Everglades table.

Tree Board Chair, Richard Stowe said that “In its 12th year, the Festival of Trees has evolved into an “edutainment" event in which exciting information-packed talks are capped off by beautiful dance performances.”

The Lake Worth City Tree Board is composed of volunteers appointed by the Mayor and City Commissioners. The Tree Board is one of a number of advisory boards which assist the City Commission. Members of the public are encouraged to attend Tree Board meetings on the second Thursday of the month.


Please contact David McGrew with any questions or comments.