Hoʻolāʻau Community Tree Planting Project
an initiative that aims to add more beautiful trees to our streets, with help from you!
Right now, most street trees on Oʻahu are under the care of the City & County of Honolulu's Division of Urban Forestry. Our City Urban Foresters work hard to make sure our existing trees are taken care of while planting new keiki trees when and where they can. Because Oʻahu is losing a significant amount of our urban tree canopy, a main goal our island is to plant more trees! In fact,
Honolulu has pledged to plant 100,000 trees by 2025!
(Res 18-005)This a huge goal!
So how are we going to do it?
It might seem like the answer is to just got out and plant thousands of trees around the city, but our City Urban Foresters are actually limited with the number of trees they are able to plant. This is not because we don't have enough trees- we have the trees - and its not because there is not space for the trees - we have the space!
In fact, 64% of the city’s land area could be modified to accommodate tree canopy! That is 7,924 acres of urban space where we could be planting trees.
So why can't we put the trees in the ground? Well, just like with children, the first 3 years of a young tree's life are the most important! Unfortunately, young street trees are particularly vulnerable to mistreatment and vandalization and the City can't always be there to make sure all their young trees are protected and cared for. Many of these newly planted keiki trees do not survive!
Hoʻolāʻau Community Tree Planting Project proposes to involve the community by allowing neighbors and business owners to adopt a young tree near them to help ensure they survive their young years!
Young trees require more frequent watering and care to help them establish deep, healthy root systems. This is something residents can do much easier than City Urban Foresters, and residents can give street trees near them much more attentive care, which increases survival rate significantly.
Hoʻolāʻau Community Tree Planting Project is already working with the City & County of Honolulu's Division of Urban Forestry in two pilot areas on the windward side! Our Citizen Forester volunteers have identified 437 empty spaces that are potential planting sites in Olomana and Maunawili residential areas that need trees.
We invited residents in both areas to adopt a street tree near their home (at zero cost to them) and we currently have several dozen Hoʻolāʻau keiki trees in the ground! The young trees will receive care from a dedicate neighbor/tree parent for the first 3 years with the support from us.
After the trees younger years, our City Urban Foresters step back in to provide long term care and maintenance for the entirety of the trees' life. Adoptees do not need to prune, they do not need hire any service providers - all we ask is for them to love and water the trees of tomorrow.
How It Works
Have your area assessed for nearby planting sites (free of charge)
Help us choose your new tree species (free of charge)
Your young tree will be delivered to the planting site near you (~$150 value)
Your tree will be planted by trained professionals, and you will be trained on easy next steps
(free of charge)Just add water! (only ~6 cents of water per month)
The City will pick up care for the rest of its life - with help from you in its early years
(free of charge)
Just add water &
we take care of the rest!
Like most Hawaiian words, Hoʻolāʻau has many important meanings.
The name was suggested because of the variety of important ideas that come from Hoʻolāʻau:
to gather in trees. For instance, birds gather in trees & forests
the idea of trees bringing people together
to form mature wood, implying longevity and care of our trees
Mahalo Alex Puanani Connelly for consultation on the naming of this initiative. Alex serves as the E Alu Pū network coordinator for Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo and is Kaulunani's Council President.
Frequently Asked Questions
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A recent study showed that urban tree canopy in Honolulu lost about 76,000 trees from 2009-2012! We need to keep growing our tree canopy because…
Trees shade and cool landscapes and reduce overall water use.
Trees are an investment that give us many more benefits over their lives than the cost of water to help them get established.
Trees filter the air and water for all of us.
Trees slow stormwater runoff and recharge groundwater.
Trees reduce soil erosion.
Trees foster safer neighborhoods with lower crime rates.
Trees will increase your property’s value.
Trees reduce temperatures so you save money on A/C.
Trees provide cooler and healthier communities.
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The Division of Urban Forestry of the City and County of Honolulu is funding this pilot community forestry program through the non-profit Smart Trees Pacific.
The Citizen Forester program, the volunteers of which have made this program possible, is funded by the State’s DLNR Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program and Region 5, USDA Forest Service.
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A Citizen Forester or Smart Trees Pacific staff member will check in on the tree and provide watering reminders to you and inform the City of issues as needed within the first few years of tree planting. Homeowner adopters like yourself will be watering. The City will be removing stakes after establishment period and giving the tree one structural pruning in the second year.
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Your tree species will be chosen to so the tree will fit within the space available once it grows to its mature size. Most tree roots only grow in the top 24 inches of soil. In addition, the watering bags that will be provided with these new trees help to establish deep roots. They do not hurt underground mains, unless these are already damaged and provide entrances for developing roots.
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Currently, this initiative has been piloted in Olomana and Maunawili because of the leadership of the Citizen Foresters in those neighborhoods. In the future, we hope to use this program as a model to offer trees to other communities.
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Some trees do drops leaves seasonally. However, the benefits you will receive from the tree year round will far exceed the minor inconvenience of occasional leaf drop.
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It actually only costs about $7 to water a tree in its first year (15 gallons, 2x week). You can reduce water use even further by watering with captured shower water, watering in the early morning or evening to reduce loss from evaporation, and watering slowly to let the water soak into the ground instead of running off.
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The choices of trees available in this program are dependent on the size of your site, the City’s street tree list, and local availability.
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Think of our agreement like a handshake commitment to help your new tree grow. This tree adoption agreement is not legally binding. However, tree survival requires water. We want you to take this seriously to insure that the trees planted through this program survive and are not wasted. We will assist you with the information and reminders you need to water your tree!
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This is a pilot program built off of the successful Citizen Forester Program – a program that aims to train local volunteers and map public trees. Citizen Foresters in their own neighborhoods wanted to bring urban forestry to the next level and have been working with the City developing this tree planting program. We hope to expand to other neighborhoods in the future. Logistically, it was also important for the trees from this program to be near to each other for ease of coordinating volunteers and post-planting monitoring.
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The tree will be planted in the public right-of-way adjacent to your home in a suitable planting site. Generally, this means within 10ft of the curb and with clearance of utilities (like wires, underground sewers, etc).
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You must seek the permission of your property owner. We are requesting at minimum a three year commitment to water the new tree. If you can commit to that, please sign up!
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Unfortunately, not for this program. This program is for the planting of City trees, so they must be in the City managed public right-of-way. This will allow the tree to be included in the City’s routine pruning cycles. But we will not stop you from planting trees on your own property – in fact we encourage it. If it is in the right place of course.
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The City will trim the tree as part of its routine pruning cycles. You are not responsible for tree trimming. Please do not trim city trees.
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No. In general, it is not necessary to fertilize trees. They adapt well to soil fertility conditions when planted. Consistent watering when young and as-needed throughout the life of the tree is the most important care you can provide.
Mahalo for your interest!
Contact info@smarttreespacific.org with any other questions or comments.
This pilot project is funded by the City & County of Honolulu, and 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.D.A. Forest Service, Region 5.