The city is removing nearly 200 trees from Waimanalo Beach — many of them because of burns sustained at the hands of park users who use the trees as windbreakers while barbecuing.

The practice is a long-standing tradition for some Island residents, who also dump their coals at the base of trees, weakening them for life or killing them outright.

Now the city must spend more than $100,000 at two Waimanalo parks to remove the potential hazards.

"In our memory, there's never been such a massive removal of trees from the parks in one fell swoop like this," said Bob Loy, director of environmental programs for The Outdoor Circle.

The Outdoor Circle is alarmed at the number of tree removals, and blames coal dumping and charcoal fires at the base of trees. It's a practice The Outdoor Circle would like to see end and hopes to start a education campaign by summer.

The city plans to remove 62 trees at Waimanalo Beach Park, Loy said. Some 131 stumps are also to be removed and 22 trees will be pruned at a cost of $48,500, he said.

At Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, popularly known as Sherwood Forest, the city is removing 131 trees, 106 stumps and pruning 38 trees at a cost of $64,545, Loy said.

The trees have become a hazard and must be removed, said Bill Brennan, city spokesman. Although coal dumping is not an isolated practice, Brennan said he didn't think it was a widespread problem either. The Waimanalo trees had been a known problem area.

"The trees pose a hazard because they could fail at any time and are located in high-target areas near residences or picnic and camping areas," Brennan said.

Abner Undan, arborist and president of Trees of Hawaii, said he is doing the work for the city.

The city said that about 25 percent of the trees being removed are due to burning. But Undan said many more trees — as many as 40 percent — show signs of charring. However, he said burning was not the only reason for removing the Waimanalo trees.

Inappropriate pruning is also a contributing factor, Undan said. Pruning methods have changed from 20 years ago and what was acceptable then is now seen as detrimental, seriously compromising the structure of the trees, he said.

"So we're removing them basically for safety," he said. "None of the trees so far that we've taken down is sound."

Trees play an important role in mankind's survival and quality of life in the Islands, Undan said. They take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. They provide cooling shade, erosion control and their leaves trap rain water, mitigating storm runoff, he said.

"In the state of Hawai'i we would not have clean beaches if not for the trees," Undan said, adding that tree burning is a big problem in all the parks. "People think a living tree, a live tree, doesn't burn. They do."

The lack of wind breaks and charcoal dumping pits at the Waimanalo beaches forces people to take shelter behind trees, said Loy of The Outdoor Circle. The problem is prevalent in Waimanalo due to strong onshore tradewinds that put out any flame easily, he said. And while there are problems at Kapi'olani Park and Magic Island, they are not as prevalent, Loy said.

In addition to damaging individual trees, fires at their bases create the potential for forest fires — especially in Waimanalo where summers leave the area dry and pine needles are in ample supply to fuel a fire, Loy said.

The long-term solution is for the city to provide low-profile, protected barbecue areas where coals can also be dumped, Loy said. But he said he recognizes that funding would be an issue.

In the meantime, education is the answer, he said.

"It's not just Windward," Loy said. "We're seeing the park department removing trees all over the island. It's a common occurrence. They spend money and manpower to do this every year islandwide and in very few cases are the trees replanted."

Loy hopes The Outdoor Circle completes plans for an education campaign by summer and is eager to work with the city on it.

The city and Mayor Mufi Hannemann have worked on an education campaign with The Outdoor Circle addressing that issue, Brennan said. Radio announcements were taped and during live broadcasts the mayor has mentioned the problem.

"If The Outdoor Circle feels a need to redo some of that, I'm sure the mayor would have no objections," he said.