On Arbor Day, plant a tree for free
By Heidi Bornhorst
Trees are what make a city, park or garden great. We all want trees that are beautiful, useful, adapted to our growing conditions and are just the right size. There is a lot to learn about trees and we all learn more as we plant, grow and care for them. We even take time to celebrate all that they bring into our lives. Arbor Day is the time of year we pause to celebrate trees.
Planting trees is one way of expressing our appreciation.
Education and careful planning are always a big part of any tree-planting program. Many trees will be planted this year and some given away for free to those wanting to grow a tree in their garden.
The Pearl City Urban Garden Center of the University of Hawai'i, the Honolulu Botanical Gardens, Hawaiian Electric Co. (HECO), the Kaulunani Urban Forestry Program of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service are leading this year's Arbor Day festivities. More than 2,000 trees and shrubs will be given away Saturday, Nov. 3, at five sites on O'ahu and many more on the neighbor islands. The give-away is part of a statewide program to educate the public about the importance of trees to the environment and on how to select and plant the right tree in the right place.
In addition to a free tree, the public will receive a free book on tree and shrub species with information on how to select, plant and care for trees.
The potted trees and shrubs that are small enough to be carried by hand will be given away starting at 7 a.m. Supplies are limited, one tree per family, and the trees usually go in an hour or two.
Experts in tree selection, planting and maintenance will be on hand at each of the O'ahu sites to offer free advice. The sites on O'ahu are:
• Wai'anae Coast at Kahe Power Plant, 92-200 Farrington Highway.
• Wahiawa Botanic Garden, 1396 California Ave., mauka of Wahiawa District Park.
• Pearl City at the Pearl City Urban Garden Center, 926 Second St.
• Honolulu at HECO's midtown facility, 820 Ward Ave., across from the Blaisdell Center.
• Kailua at HECO's Ko'olau Base Yard, 1387 Ulupi'i St., off Kalaniana'ole Highway across from Maunawili Elementary School.
Sites on the Neighbor Islands are:
• Big Island: Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in Captain Cook, on the grass field across from the Manago Hotel. Trees will be given away 9 a.m.-noon or until supplies run out.
• Maui: Maui Electric Co.'s parking lot at 210 W. Kamehameha Ave. Trees will be given away by representatives of MECO and the County of Maui Volunteer Action Group 7-10 a.m. or until supplies run out.
• Kaua'i: Trees will be distributed 9 a.m-noon or until supplies run out, at two sites — the Kmart parking lot in Lihu'e and the Kamalani Playground. Kaua'i residents are asked to bring a bag for compost.
Heidi Bornhorst is director of Honolulu's botanical gardens — Foster, Lili'uokalani, Wahiawa, Koko Crater, Ho'omaluhia. Write to her care of The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802. Or e-mail her at islandlife@honoluluadvertiser.com.
