Citizen Foresters
What is Citizen Forestry?
Community members inventorying public trees
The Citizen Forester Program is working to improve Hawaii’s records to show:
where our trees are located
which ones need attention
and what benefits they provide
Our inventory directly aids in city planning, environmental impact and public health assessments while increasing community awareness of the benefits of trees. We also assess areas where trees are needed the most and work to increase green infrastructure.
With an accurate inventory we are able to save time and taxpayers dollars when managing our urban forest!
Get Involved
Complete the form below to:
sign up to volunteer
register for upcoming events
The Citizen Forester Program
Educate. Train. Certify.
We support community members as volunteer citizen scientists to map urban trees and add to your community’s tree inventory while raising awareness on the importance of caring for trees where we live.
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O'ahu
Inventory with us in
Kapahulu, Makiki, Wahiawā, and on the Windward side. -
Kaua'i
Inventory with us in Līhuʻe.
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Guam
Inventory with us in Tumon.
Volunteer Resources:
Waivers & Contact Forms:
Volunteer Manual and Tree Identification Guides:
Urban Tree Inventory
An urban tree inventory was identified as one of the top strategies in the Urban Forestry Section of Hawaii’s Forest Action Plan. There is no formal inventory of trees currently being used in Hawai‘i, which can hinder efforts to manage, maintain, replace trees, and plan for disasters in the urban forest.
Management of any resource begins with an inventory of that resource. Urban Forest Management is no exception. Trees are infrastructure! An accurate inventory will tell us where trees are needed the most.
Urban Tree Ambassadors
Another key strategy in Hawaii’s Forest Action Plan (FAP) is improving the public perception of the value and benefits of urban trees. The Citizen Forester program looks to address these strategies by engaging communities in their urban forests through the use of citizen science to develop an urban tree inventory and through public outreach.
An important component of the Citizen Forester program is communicating with the public! Our Citizen Foresters are the voices of our urban forests – and our program also trains our volunteers on how to conduct public outreach.
Data Use
The tree inventory data is freely available to the public for non-commercial uses upon request.
As part of our program, volunteers collect location data, specific tree measurements, and tree condition assessments for trees in the city’s right of way. Our inventory is stored on the Tree Plotter TM platform, which calculates the estimated eco-benefits for the recorded trees.
To request detailed tree inventory data please fill out our online form:
Citizen Forester Program Data Request Form
Download a copy of our Data Sharing Policy:
Citizen Forester Program Inventory Data Sharing Policy (PDF,109 KB)
The Citizen Forester program is a collaborative project of federal, state, and city partners:
State and Private Forestry branch of the U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, Region 5
Kaulunani Urban & Community Forestry Program; DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife
The Urban Forestry Division of the City and County of Honolulu
The County of Kauai
The Department of Agriculture of Guam, Division of Forestry
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender Funded by a grant from the Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program of the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and State and Private Forestry, branch of the U.S. Forest Service, Region 5
