Maui Arbor Day Celebration Includes 1,000 Tree Giveaway

Arbor Day, the worldwide holiday dedicated to honoring, planting and enjoying the benefits of trees, has been celebrated in Hawaiʻi for more than 110 years.

The Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program and their partners are continuing an annual tradition by planting and distributing trees on Arbor Day 2021 on Nov. 6. 

On Maui, the tree giveaway runs Nov. 2-6. Residents can choose from 25 species and 1,400 native and Polynesian introduced trees, one per person, no age limit. Reservations are required with the pickup at the Maui Nui Botanical Gardens (150 Kanaloa Ave. in Kahului) anytime between 9 am and 4 pm on your reserved day. Masks and social distancing are required. To register, click here.

Trees not picked up by 4 pm on the reserved day will be forfeited and become available for online reservation again. Free tree care and related webinars held virtually.

For information on other tree giveaways on other islands, visit the Arbor Day Hawaiʻi webpage for specific details on each location. Some require reservations.  

Housed within the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), Kaulunani has supported 106 projects that have distributed 110,226 trees across the state, since its inception in 1993. This year, thousands of trees will be made available for adoption through partnerships on Oʻahu with the Mālama Learning Center, Trees for Honolulu’s Future, Ke Kula Nui O Waimānalo; on Maui with the Maui Nui Botanical Gardens; and on Kauaʻi with the Garden Island Resource Conservation and Development, Inc.  

Can’t make it to a tree distribution this year? Consider visiting a local nursery and picking up your tree to celebrate Arbor Day.  

Two online resources can help you choose the right tree for the right place: 

• Plant Pono identifies the perfect plant for your landscape. The database of grass, ground covers, vines, shrubs, and trees helps you identify one that matches your planting site conditions, ensuring the best survivability of plants, and avoiding ones that are or may become invasive.  

• SelecTree focuses specifically on trees for an urban landscape. Input your preferred tree characteristics from height, shape, leaf type, presence or absence of flowers or fruit, as well as planting site conditions, and a list of trees that match the selected criteria will be generated.  

Individuals can make real impacts on their family and community well-being by planting and maintaining trees in their neighborhoods. Kaulunani is proud to be supporting the effort of creating a brighter, greener and healthier Hawaiʻi.   

“It’s exciting to think that the trees distributed through our Arbor Day partners help DLNR meet its pledge to conserve, restore, and plant 100 million trees as part of the worldwide Trillion Trees campaign,” said Heather McMillen, DOFAW Urban and Community Forester and Kaulunani Coordinator. “We are in this together!”