Crews to Remove Hazardous Trees in Makawao, Waihou

Makawao Forest Reserve. Courtesy photo

About a dozen pine and eucalyptus trees as tall as 70 feet in the Makawao State Forest Reserve will be assessed and flagged for removal from Feb. 16 to Feb. 29. The trees surround the upper parking lot of the Kahakapao Recreation Area (KRA).

The Department of Land and Natural Resources has contracted Land Prep LLC for the project, which is estimated to cost $19,500.

Land Prep LLC will be responsible for falling and removing debris from the site.

To ensure safety and efficient operations, the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) will temporarily close the upper parking lot for the duration of the project. The rest of the forest reserve, including the lower parking lot and KRA will remain open for community access and use.

The public is advised to stay away from the project area due to falling and moving debris from the site.

A supplemental hazardous tree removal project will also take place in the area, just to the south in the Waihou Springs State Forest Reserve. This involves the removal of approximately 30 pine and eucalyptus trees. These trees are located within the forest reserve and located near both Olinda and Piiholo roads.

DOFAW plans to contract and complete this project by late spring 2020 to avoid the bat pupping season which occurs from June 1 to Sept. 15.

There were two previous hazardous removal projects in the same area completed in the past two years that ended with the removal of approximately 40 trees. All these projects were and have been made possible by the strong support of the legislature and capital improvement appropriations. The anticipated cost for this project is between $35,000 and $55,000.

The Waihou Spring Forest Reserve was established by the Governor’s Proclamation in 1909 for protecting the resources of Waihou Spring, one of the few perennial springs on the west slope of Haleakalā. At approximately 186 acres, Waihou Spring Forest Reserve is a small, but popular day-use area.