Homestyle
Information campaign, tree planting honor Sept. 11 victim
By Heidi Bornhorst
Special to The Advertiser
Christine Snyder was a tiger for trees. The Kailua arborist was very akamai, hard-working and dedicated to trees and the greening of the Islands. She worked as a landscape and planting project manager for the Outdoor Circle, a nonprofit environmental group, and was greatly respected in Hawai'i's tight-knit circle of tree professionals.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
Ask anyone, whether a hardened tree worker, a "tree hugger," a certified arborist or the mayor, and they will all have something good to say about Chris and her dedication to trees. She had a special way of working with all kinds of people. She had a thirst for knowledge that she shared with everyone. She was a major advocate for planned tree planting, maintenance of the trees and educating people about the value of having trees.
In early November, a tree-planting ceremony was held on Magic Island in memory of Kailua arborist Christine Snyder.
Tragically, Chris' life ended all too soon — on Sept. 11 in a fiery plane crash in a Pennsylvania forest. She had been returning home from a national urban forestry conference.
She probably had helped fight back against the hijackers. She was always one to be courageous and do the right thing.
Many trees were planted during Chris' life, and more are being planted now.
In early November, there was a large tree-planting ceremony at Magic Island, memorializing Christine.
In addition to planting trees, volunteers mulched all the trees on Magic Island and passed out leaflets showing the hazards of dumping hot coals at the base of trees.
This is such a widespread problem that crews have had to remove six mature coral trees on Magic Island because they were severely burned at their bases and in danger of falling.
In Chris' honor, here's an important reminder from all of us who cherish trees: Don't dump your charcoal on the trees! Numerous trees have been destroyed in parks by those who thoughtlessly dump hot charcoal.
People think they are saving the feet of children by dumping charcoal next to trees. But when the trees burn, what about their feet?
This problem occurs even when there are designated charcoal-dumping sites close by.
The trees, which shade us and make our parks cool and green, deserve the same care and consideration as our families. Please take the time to dispose of charcoal properly and safely for all living things.
Last year, 25 coconut palms and 25 milo and beach heliotrope trees were planted along the kokohead side of Magic Island by the Outdoor Circle and Honolulu forestry crews. Chris had been planning with city officials to do a similar planting this year along the 'ewa side.
The Outdoor Circle has created the Christine Snyder Tree Education Fund, which will be used to establish statewide programs for teaching the proper planting, maintenance and pruning of trees. This was a goal Chris once described as one of her most important. Inquiries regarding contributions can be made to the Outdoor Circle at 593-0300.
A kickoff Arbor Day planting was done on Nov. 2 at Magic Island. A coral tree, Erythrina variegata var. orientalis, was planted. The Outdoor Circle and the city Division of Urban forestry joined the mayor and a group of keiki from Royal School at the ceremony.
Again, one of the important messages was to not dump charcoal on trees.
Teacher Robin Hiraki and students testified to the importance and value of trees, and the need to protect them from hot charcoal. Mayor Jeremy Harris spoke with deep feeling to the keiki and appointed them "arborist special agents" to spread the word about how live coals injure and eventually kill park trees.
Heidi Bornhorst is director of Honolulu's botanical gardens. Reach her by e-mail at islandlife@honoluluadvertiser.com.
