Photos: Lynnfield Arbor Day Celebration 2011

The winners of the annual 2011 Amazing Trees of Lynnfield photo contest were on hand at Saturday's town Arbor Day celebration to pick up their prize trees.

This year, the town's tree committee awarded the following varieties of trees to the contest winners: wintergreen umbrella pine, honeycrisp apple, ivory silk Japanese tree lilac, Japanese snowbell and Japanese maple.

For the prize winners, Julia Henriques, Harlee Priestly and Sarah and Owen Doherty received trees under the "Most Unusual" category, while Molly Pifko and Erica and Melanie Richards got their trees under the "Best Climbing Tree" category.

Also on hand to speak was Selectman Arthur Bourque, who recalled seeing many of the area's magnificent trees brought down by the Dutch Elm Blight years ago. He noted that Townscape had been founded in Lynnfield not long after to help beautify the town, and that residents can identify which trees were planted by the group by the pink ribbons that adorn them.

"It always amazes me as I drive through town what impact one or two people can have on a town," Bourque told the gathering, pointing out that the contributions of groups like Townscape and the Tree Committee are even more crucial during tough budget times like the present.

"We welcome new members to our committee. We are small, we could be a lot larger," Beth Aaronson told attendees.

Lynnfield has also received Tree City USA designation from the Arbor Day Foundation.