Special thanks to Kimberley Thayer, Sue Kiang and William Jacintho of the Maui County Arborist Committee and Martha Vockrodt-Moran

of the D. J. Fleming Arboretum. All photographs: Patricia Tratebas

In 1975 the State of Hawaii passed Act 105 which required every county in the state to establish an Arborist Advisory Committee to designate “Exceptional Trees” in need of protection for one or more of these reasons: age, rarity, location, size, aesthetic quality, endemic status and historic or cultural significance. It also required the counties to enact protective regulations to safeguard these trees. In 1990 Maui County created a local ordinance (1944) which included the creation of this committee and this list.

Banyan Ficus sp. Moloka’i

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Traveling the county with GPS unit in hand I took waypoints on over 100 of these trees starting with the 2011 County of Maui Exceptional Trees List and

with the assistance of members of the Arborist Committee in locating Lahaina and Wailuku based trees and Martha Vockrodt-Moran for the trees located at

the D. J. Fleming Arboretum.

I compiled a table database of these trees recording their species names, common names and Hawaiian names, height, girth and canopy spread, age or

date of planting (if known), town or area location, TMK map #, street address, island and land owner. Additionally, based on the descriptions in their

listings, I attempted to categorize them as to the reasons stated in the law for inclusion on the list: age, rarity, location, size, aesthetic quality, endemic

status and historic or cultural significance.

Understanding the origin of the species on the list could help us understand better the place of these trees in eco-system management for Maui. For this

reason, I created categories for these trees defined by their origins: endemic – of local origin, “canoe” – Polynesian introductions and “historic” – post-

contact introductions.

Problem Statement

The local Maui County Arborist Committee of working professionals and county employees did not have the time or resources to create a GIS database of

these trees. Creating a database for both existing and proposed trees would help answer these questions: Where are these trees? Why are they on the list?

What is their current status or condition? How can we protect these trees?

Methodology

Results & Discussion

There was not sufficient time within the parameters set by this course to GPS all the trees, both existing and proposed, although I made a valiant effort,

going both to Hana and Moloka’i for one day each for one tree and returning to Lahaina to GPS all the royal palms I could possibly consider part of that

“group” (considerably more than was indicated on the county list I was provided with which simply said 20+). The most important result of this project

was the creation of a geodatabase of these trees with a systematic method of categorization in table format in a GIS that can be added to and altered

in the future with more trees and more information about these trees. Going forward I hope I will be able to assist the Maui County Arborist Committee

in GPS’ing these trees – and future nominees – to assure their protection and appreciation by the general public.

The Exceptional Trees of Maui CountyBy PATRICIA TRATEBAS

GIS 180 – Ecosystem Management

References

Photo by: Jim Petruzzi

Kiawe Prosopispallida Mile Marker 11, HonoapiilaniHighway, Maui

“We are an invasive species…and we have a purpose.”-William Jacintho, 11/6/15

On the last day of the worldI would want to plant a tree.

-W.S. Merwin

My primary source for horticultural identification and information on plants found in Hawaii: Staples, George W. and Derral R. Herbst A Tropical Garden Flora: Plants Cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and Other Tropical Places. Honolulu, HI: Bishop Museum Press, 2005.

Figure 1. Map above shows areas on the island of Maui where GPS points where taken on trees.

Figure 2. Map on

right shows principal

landowners of the

exceptional trees.

Figure 3. Map on

right shows the origins of various

tree species on the list.

Loulu ‘Ohana’ Pritchardia forbesiana – Largest on left is listed. The two others are nominated. D. J. Fleming Arboretum, Pu’uMahoe, Kanaio, Maui