Hawaiʻi Urban and Community Forestry projects awarded funding

Seven forestry projects have been selected by Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry, a program of the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), to receive funds to strengthen community connections with trees. Funding from Kaulunani will support these projects on Kauaʻi, Maui, Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island over the next three years.

The awards bring awareness to the positive impacts that forests and trees provide to help create healthy and resilient communities. Among the many benefits, urban trees provide clean air and water, cooling shade, iconic natural beauty and improve physical and mental well-being. The selected projects inspire tree protection and urban forestry management, engage and educate community members at native forest restoration sites and provide technical support to help fruit tree growers maximize yields and minimize waste.

“The department recognizes the cultural, ecological and economic values that community trees provide,” said DOFAW Administrator David Smith. “We are proud to partner on these projects and support expanded work to foster vitality in communities of trees and people.”

The following is a list of the projects awarded:

Maui

• The County of Maui Department of Management will build upon a federal award for its “Maui Urban Forest Management Plan – Building Capacity and Partnerships and Advancing Equity in Community Forestry,” to include a thorough analysis of tree canopy data to support informed decision-making.
• Mālama Hāmākua Maui’s “Restoring the Hamakualoa Coast through a Community-led Native Plant” project will coordinate community involvement in the reforestation of Hamakualoa Open Space Preserve.

Kauaʻi

• Mālama Kauaʻi’s “Village Harvest: Engaging and Educating Kaua‘i Residents in Community Forestry” project will invest in local fruit tree nurseries and host educational events to improve the management of fruit trees island-wide.

Oʻahu

• The City and County of Honolulu, Office of Climate Change, Sustainability, and Resiliency’s “Updating Honolulu Rules, Regulations, and Practices for Urban and Community Forestry” project will engage community and technical experts to develop and propose needed changes to city code for improved management of urban, municipal trees (street and park trees).
• Kōkua Kalihi Valley’s “Ulu Koa: Aligning Generational Abundance & Ancestral Wholeness” strengthens the resiliency of Kalihi’s land and communities by connecting urban land and people through Pacific Island tree-planting culture.

Hawaiʻi Island

• Hiki Ola’s “Ola i ka ʻĀina” project will build upon a restoration project at the Kealakekua Mountain Reserve by creating opportunities for students to engage with ʻāina through active kilo, learning about wao, seed collection, bird identification and native tree planting.
• Waikōloa Dry Forest Institute’s “Waikoloa Community Forest Expansion” project will support community-driven restoration to replace 10 acres of invaded grassland with 10,000 native plants.

“Commitment to urban and community forests is critical at all scales, from global to local,” said Dr. Heather McMillen, Kaulunani program coordinator. “Federal funding for urban and community forestry projects has been at record levels and now the state of Hawaiʻi has stepped up to demonstrate its commitment here at home. People increasingly recognize the need to grow the forest around us—where we live, work, learn and play. Communities that are growing healthy trees understand that trees grow healthy communities.”