Join us to celebrate five decades of exceptional trees on O‘ahu! The City and County of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation’s Division of Urban Forestry (DUF) will be hosting a 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Exceptional Tree Program at Foster Botanical Garden on Saturday, May 31, 2025 from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon. This golden gathering is coordinated in conjunction with Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, the Arborist Advisory Committee, The Outdoor Circle, Trees for Honolulu’s Future, and the Downtown-Chinatown Neighborhood Board.
The celebration will include several activities highlighting this legacy program, the people who facilitate it, and of course the towering, exceptional trees! Those half-hour activities include:
- 10 a.m. Outdoor Circle presentation of the Exceptional Tree Program
- 10:30 a.m. Tour of the Exceptional Trees within the botanical garden
- 11:30 a.m. Workshop on how to nominate a tree for exceptional status
The event is free and open the public, including free admission and parking at Foster Botanical Garden. However, space for the presentation and workshop is limited. To secure your spot please RSVP by contacting DUF at (808) 971-7151 or duf@honolulu.gov by May 22nd with your name, number of people in your party, and contact information.
“While we should appreciate our natural environment and tree friends every day, it’s extra special to mark a milestone such as this for our exceptional trees,” said Division of Urban Forestry Administrator Roxanne Adams. “We celebrate these trees, and the programs which support it, while combating many threats to the health of our nahele (forest). From a changing climate, to the proliferation of several invasive species, such as coconut rhinoceros beetle, little fire ants, and the gall wasp, we must not take our tree population for granted. Nor should we falter in our work to support and grow it. It is work we cannot do alone, so a big mahalo to the grassroots efforts of the Arborist Advisory Committee, our amazing lahui (community) of environmental non-profits, and eager volunteers. Many hands working together make for lighter work, and we greatly appreciate your kokua (help).”
This celebration not only marks the 50th Anniversary of the Exceptional Tree Act, but also coincides with Governor Josh Green’s declaration of 2025 as the Year of our Community Forest. In 1975, the Hawai’i State Legislature found that rapid development led to the destruction of many of the State’s exceptional trees, and therefore passed the Exceptional Tree Act. The Act recognizes and protects trees for their beauty, crucial ecological functions, and increasing value as they age.
On O‘ahu, trees nominated by their kahu (guardians) are reviewed and approved by the Arborist Advisory Committee facilitated by DUF. A tree, or grove of trees, is rated based on the following seven criteria: historic or cultural value, age, rarity, location, size, aesthetic quality, and endemic status. This exceptional status helps protect the tree, requires special permitting to prune the tree, and provides its kahu with a tax deduction of up to $3,000 every three years, per exceptional tree, to offset maintenance costs.
Today, there are more than 900 exceptional trees on O‘ahu. However, we are concerned that many of these trees, which were already old when there were designated in the 1970s and 1980s, are starting to reach the end of their natural lifespans. That is why we are encouraging the next generation of forestry-minded individuals to nominate more Exceptional Trees. So get outside, look around, and nominate trees you feel are worthy of this lofty designation. More information is available online at: bit.ly/exceptionaltrees
We look forward to seeing you on May 31st!
If you need an auxiliary aid/service, other accommodations due to a disability, or an interpreter for a language other than English in reference to this announcement, please contact the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation at (808) 768-3003 on weekdays from 7:45 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. or email parks@honolulu.gov
—PAU—
Follow the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation, Division of Urban Forestry on social media:
Instagram: @oahutrees Facebook: facebook.com/OahuTrees1 Website: bit.ly/exceptionaltrees
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