Get a free tree at the Arbor Day celebration and Waterwise Fair in New Smyrna Beach on February 5.

Written by Anthony Bicy

Belden Communications News

New Smyrna Beach will host its annual Arbor Day celebration and Waterwise Fair on February 5.

Residents can meet rescue owls, help beautify the community, and with proof of residency, receive a free tree when they visit the fair held next to the Utilities Commission building off Canal Street starting at 9 a.m.

There will be four hundred trees to choose from, including Sand Live Oak, Sweet Bay Magnolia, Crepe Myrtle, Dahoon Holly, Red Cedar, and Bald Cypress while supplies last (limit one tree per resident). The city will also hand out Butterfly Milkweed seeds recognizing New Smyrna Beach's status as a Monarch City.

New Smyrna city staff and Boy Scout Troop 72 will help residents load their free trees into their vehicles, or if you prefer, you can hand-carry them.

The Utilities Commission will hold the Waterwise Fair alongside the tree picking while raffling off several items, like rain barrels, water buckets for recycling, and more.

For educational tips and to answer any questions, multiple conservation groups and nature enthusiasts will be on-site during the event, including:

- Beekeepers of Volusia County

- Florida East Coast Bromeliad Society

- Keep NSB Clean

- Lindley’s Garden Center

- Lyonia Environmental Center

- Manatee Protection Program

- Master Gardeners of Volusia County

- New Smyrna Beach Garden Club

- Pawpaw Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society

- Southeast Volusia Audubon Society

- Volusia County Mosquito Control

- Wild About Birds

For more information, call Maintenance Operations at (386)424-2205.