Arbor Day

   Arbor Day is fast approaching and this year will be celebrated on Saturday, November 2nd at the Maui Nui Botanical Gardens. We will be there ready to send kiddos into the trees! Our certified arborist comes prepared to give anyone who wants to experience climbing with a rope and harness the chance to do so in a safe environment.

Below is an article we wrote in 2023 about how wonderful this event is, enjoy!


   Arbor Day in Hawaii is celebrated on November 4th with numerous events across the state. Here in Maui the must-do event is at the Maui Nui Botanical Garden. The highlight of this event is the overarching goal of handing out 1,000 FREE trees! One to each person in attendance, first come, first serve. Guests will be able to choose from 20 different native or Polynesian introduced species, with some of the more highly demanded trees available to be reserved online prior to the event. One my favorite arborist sayings is, “Plant the right tree in the right place.”, which is great advice when choosing your tree. There will arborists on site as well as many conservation groups available to help you find the right tree for your location on Maui, proximity to the ocean and arid levels. Be sure to check out the website on October 31st to see a full list of available trees, which ones you are able to reserve as well as growing information to assist in your decision. 


   The Hale Ohi’a is not to be missed. Researchers from around the state will have up to date information about our Ohi’a forests, plus presentations and activities to truly understand the issues and the opportunity to earn a free Ohi’a tree! Last year we earned one, along with written instructions for its care, and I’m proud to say it is growing well in our backyard.


   Every year we attend this event and I am always blown away at all there is to do, experience, and learn. My kiddos love the keiki activities hosted by Maui conservation organizations working to protect native forests and the tree climbing exhibit (put on by my personal favorite arborist, Jake Kane). While I also enjoy those booths; learning how to be a proponent in saving our native trees, the cultural activities (such as making leis from native plants) and interesting plants available for purchase are my favorite aspects.  


   There are many wonderful sponsors of this event, including Hawaiian Electric Company, Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry, USDA Forest Service, and Maui Green and Beautiful along with event co-hosts Maui Association of Landscape Professionals and Maui Nui Botanical Garden, all who are excited and have been working hard to bring this killer event to fruition. Plan on coming from 9:00am - 2:00pm to take full advantage of all it will offer. Don’t forget to stop by our table and Climb a Tree Like an Arborist!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Monocot vs. Dicot

    In our last article, ‘Coo-Coo for Coconuts’, we briefly touched on the differences between monocotyledon (Monocot) and dicotyledon (Dicot) flowering plants. Lets dive into this topic a bit further.      An ancient GREEK philosopher known as the ‘Father of Botany’ (Theophrastus) may have been credited with being the first to recognize differences between the two groups, it wasn’t until the 1600s when the naturalist John Ray truly separated Monocot and Dicot plants.      There are a few contrarieties between monocots and dicots, the easiest way to tell if a tree or plant is one or the other is assessing the flowers, bark and leaves. But the main difference between them starts at the very beginning when the seed germinates and sends out a sprout. If the sprout has a single seed leaf, it’s a monocotyledon (mono- meaning ‘one’) but if the sprout has two seed leaves, it is a dicotyledon (di- meaning ‘two’). This small variance at the very start...
Read more

Care for yard, Care for reef!

      In this article I would love to introduce some awesome tips for helping steward healthy reef by starting in our own back yards.  Set your watering times for longer durations and less days per week to encourage roots to grow deeper and be more drought tolerant. (Note: you will have to adjust accordingly with season change.)  Check your irrigation system to be sure you have adequate coverage with no leaks or excessive overspray, especially if you are ocean front, near storm drains or concrete that runs to a storm drain.  Set your watering times somewhere between dusk and dawn rather than during the day to avoid wasting water to evaporation.  A rain sensor is a device that shuts off your irrigation clock if there is adequate rain fall and is relatively inexpensive to have installed. I highly recommend a rain sensor for properties up North or higher up the mountain while it may not be necessary for properties in Lahaina.  Utilize mulch or wood c...
Read more

Unwelcome Tree Guests

     Here in Hawaii we have an abundance of beautiful trees, with that comes a variety of tree pests. These pests steal life, nutrients, vigor and appearance often threatening structural integrity and forcing you to remove your once beloved tree. Some of the most notorious suspects found on Maui are: Stem Gall Wasp Kou Leaf Worm Spiraling White Fly Monkeypod Borer Beetle Lobate Lac Scale Eucalyptus Snout Weevil Eucalyptus Tortoise Beetle Blue Coconut Leaf Beetle Pacific Cockroach Beetle      Fortunately, there are treatment options if infestations are caught early enough which can save your tree(s) from needing removal.      Each pest has it’s own unique way of destroying the life of your tree(s), here are four examples from the above list. The stem gall wasp, found on Banyan trees, lays its eggs in the stems and small branches (not to be confused with the leaf gall wasp , which will not kill your tree, but is simply unattractive) leaving hol...
Read more