Department of Parks and Recreation

DIVISION OF URBAN FORESTRY

HORTICULTURE SERVICES BRANCH

For questions or concerns regarding trees, click here to view Guidelines for Inquiries Relating to Trees chart.

The Division of Urban Forestry consists of an Administrative function, the Horticulture Services Branch and the Honolulu Botanical Gardens. The division's Administrative Section and the Horticulture Services Branch employ 1 American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA) Registered Consulting Arborist, 16 International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborists, 15 ISA Certified Tree Workers, and one Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) Certified Landscape Technician. The Honolulu Botanical Gardens employ an additional 8 ISA Certified Arborists and 1 ALCA Certified Landscape Technician.

It propagates, plants, trims, waters, and maintains shade trees, concrete planters and other ornamental plants cultivated along public roadways, and in City parks and malls.

It provides specialized horticultural and arboricultural services for an island-wide beautification program. It reviews and inspects subdivision plans and other street tree plantings, and issues permits on special requests for planting, pruning/trimming, relocating and removing of street trees.

It clears tree branches obstructing street lights, utility lines, traffic devices, and from rights-of-way of dangerous branches, and clears fallen trees or branches from streets and other City properties.

It supervises contractual tree work and grows and maintains plants for beautification projects, public gardens and for use as ornamentals in government buildings, at City functions and other City-sponsored events. It develops field-grown specimen trees for City projects, and conducts evaluation, selection and testing programs to develop plant materials suitable for the above-mentioned purposes.

• It also conserves valuable existing trees from displacement or destruction in City and other governmental agency construction projects, and tree-banks large specimen trees displaced by private developments or donated by homeowners as a community preservation measure.

The division operates five nurseries and tree farms at Kapi`olani, Kualoa, Nuuanu, Waipahu Depot Road, and Waiawa with a total inventory of approximately 3,300 trees.

The division is involved in encouraging the use of mulch to: reduce maintenance of areas around trees, to conserve water, and to prevent damage to the bark of trees by mowers and line trimmers.

The division's Tree Acquisition Program accepts donated trees from the public. However, the trees must be inspected and approved by the division before acceptance by the City as a gift to the City. Once accepted, the tree becomes the property of the City and will be removed by the Horticulture Services Branch.

Statistical highlights of major activities for the period July 1, 2006, to June 30, 2007, include:

• Trees Pruned........................................43,812
• Trees Planted...........................................  149
• Potted Plants Loaned Out..................... 2,803
• Trees Root-Pruned..................................  182  

If you would like additional information about the operations of the Division of Urban Forestry, Horticulture Services Branch or its Tree Acquisition Program you may call (808) 971-7151 or FAX to (808) 971-7160.