Food Forest Management
A Half-Day, Immersive Workshop Experience: Managing Living Ecosystems for Long-Term Success
In this five-hour hands-on workshop, participants will learn the practical skills and management techniques needed to steward healthy, productive, and resilient food forests. Through a combination of classroom discussion, field demonstrations, and hands-on practice throughout the 4Roots Farm Campus, we'll explore how thoughtful management influences plant health, ecosystem function, productivity, and long-term resilience.
Throughout the workshop, participants will gain hands-on experience using a variety of pruning tools and management techniques while learning when, why, and how each practice is applied. By the end of the day, you'll leave with practical skills, a deeper understanding of ecosystem stewardship, and the confidence to manage your own food forest as a thriving, ever-evolving landscape.
What You’ll Learn
- Understanding ecological succession and how food forests change over time
- Developing an observation-based approach to ecosystem management
- Pruning techniques for fruit production, tree health, structure, and biomass
- Coppicing, pollarding, chop-and-drop, and other regenerative pruning methods
- Managing sunlight, shade, and competition within layered systems
- Building healthy soils through mulch, biomass, and nutrient cycling
- Using support species to improve soil fertility and system resilience
- Seasonal management strategies and annual maintenance planning
- Integrating animals into agroforestry systems to improve fertility, weed control, and ecosystem function
- Managing pests and diseases through ecological principles rather than reactive treatments
- Essential tools and equipment for establishing and maintaining food forests
- Learning from real-world management practices through guided field demonstrations at the 4Roots Farm Campus
The Experience
5-Hour Workshop
Planting a food forest is only the beginning. The true success of any agroforestry system comes from understanding how to guide, manage, and work with a living ecosystem as it grows and changes over time.
In this five-hour hands-on workshop, participants will learn the practical skills and management techniques needed to steward healthy, productive, and resilient food forests. Through a combination of classroom discussion, field demonstrations, and hands-on practice throughout the 4Roots Farm Campus, we'll explore how thoughtful management influences plant health, ecosystem function, productivity, and long-term resilience.
We'll examine real agroforestry systems across the campus while discussing why different management decisions are made, how systems evolve through ecological succession, and how to respond to the changing needs of a food forest throughout the seasons.
This workshop is designed for home gardeners, landowners, educators, and farmers who want to move beyond simply planting trees and develop the knowledge and confidence to actively manage regenerative landscapes for years to come.
Event Details
📆 Date & Time: Saturday, September 26th | 9:00am - 2:00pm
📍 Location: 4Roots Farm Campus, 1101 N John Young Pkwy, Orlando, FL
🎟️ Ticket Price: $50 per attendee
Meet Your Instructors
Mike Garcia | Owner & Operator of Everoak Farm
Mike Garcia is the Owner & Operator of Everoak Farm: a small, bio-intensive and regenerative family farm in the heart of Orlando.
As a self-taught first-generation farmer with a deep-rooted passion for sustainable agriculture and regenerative farming practices, Mike’s journey began in the culinary world, where he honed his skills and expertise through formal training at culinary school and over a decade of experience in the hospitality industry.
Driven to reconnect with the land and foster a more sustainable food system, Mike transitioned from the kitchen to the fields, embracing a holistic approach to farming rooted in agroecology. Drawing inspiration from nature's wisdom, Mike practices integrating bio-intensive market gardening, agroforestry, pasture poultry, and composting to cultivate healthy, nutrient-rich soil and promote biodiversity on his farm.
Tyler Zaworski | Head of Food Forest at 4Roots Farm
Tyler Zaworski serves as the Head of Food Forest at 4Roots Farm, where he helps steward and expand the Farm Campus’ regenerative growing spaces through sustainable agriculture practices and ecosystem-based design.
Passionate about growing food and empowering others to do the same, Tyler specializes in food forest cultivation, edible landscaping, plant propagation, and regenerative growing techniques that work in harmony with Florida’s natural environment.
Through hands-on education and community engagement, Tyler helps visitors connect more deeply to where their food comes from while demonstrating how productive, resilient ecosystems can be created at any scale: from backyard gardens to larger community spaces. His approachable teaching style and practical experience make him passionate about helping others gain the confidence and knowledge to begin their own growing journey.