Department of Land and Natural Resources

DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
News Release

NEIL ABERCROMBIE GOVERNOR

WILLIAM J. AILA JR, CHAIRPERSON

For Immediate News Release October 31, 2013

DLNR ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR AMERICAN FORESTS’ NATIONAL REGISTER OF BIG TREES
Fall 2013 Register Includes 10 Champions Crowned in Hawaii

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HONOLULU – The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is now accepting nominations for the 2014 National Register of Big Trees. Across the United States, the largest trees of their species joined the ranks of the more than 780 national champion trees listed in American Forests’ National Register of Big Trees. More than 40 new champions were crowned across 50 states and the District of Columbia, including 6 new champions in Hawaii.

“Hawaii’s Big Tree Competition is proud to announce that our champion, Māmane in Puu Waawaa Forest Reserve, has been included in the American Forests 2014 Calendar,” said DLNR Forestry Program Manager Sheri S. Mann. “We would also like to welcome our new Hawaii Big Tree coordinator, Nicholas Joly.”

The 10 Nationally Crowned Champions in Hawaii include:

• Koa in South Kona, Hawaii Island
• Niu (Coconut Palm) in Hawea Heiau Complex and Keawawa Wetland, Oahu
• Kōlea lau nui in Puu Waawaa Forest Reserve, Hawaii Island
• Wiliwili in Puu Lani Ranch, Hawaii Island
• Hau (Sea Hibiscus) in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii Island
• Aalii (Hopbush) at Maui Nui Botanical Gardens, Maui
• Olopua (Hawaiian olive) in Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii Island
• Pāpalakēpau in Puu Waawaa Forest Reserve, Hawaii Island
• Mānele (Soapberry Wingleaf) in Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii Island
• Māmane in Puu Wwaawaa Forest Reserve, Hawaii Island

Since 1940, American Forests National Big Tree Program has promoted the importance of planting and caring for trees and forests in helping to sustain healthy ecosystems and life on Earth. The program has campaigned to locate, protect and save the biggest specimens of every native and naturalized tree species in the United States.

Beyond national champions, Hawaii’s Big Tree Competition also recognizes the biggest trees in Hawaii using the same equation as the national program. Sheri Shannon, coordinator of American Forests National Big Tree Program said: “Anyone can be a big tree hunter. It’s because of avid tree lovers that we are able to find some of the nation’s biggest trees.”

Sponsored by The Davey Tree Expert Company, the National Register of Big Trees accepts nominations for national champions year-round, and American Forests releases an updated version of the register twice a year. The National Register of Big Trees records the largest trees of each species in the United States based on height, circumference and average crown spread.

To learn more about Hawaii’s Big Tree Competition or how to nominate a potential champion tree, contact Nicholas Joly at 808-587-0915. Be ready to provide the tree’s height, circumference, and crown spread measurements. To learn more about American Forests’ National Big Tree Program or the Big Tree Measuring Guidelines, go to https://www.americanforests.org/bigtrees/. Hawaii’s Big Tree Website is under construction but will be available in the near future.

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Media Contact:
Deborah Ward
Public information specialist
Phone (808) 587-0320
BACKGROUND INFORMATION

About Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) Forestry Section
The Forest Reserve System was created by the Territorial Government of Hawai’i in April 25, 1903. Early territorial foresters recognized the need to protect mauka (upland) forests to provide the necessary water requirements for the lowland agriculture demands and surrounding communities. With its inception, the Forest Reserve System represented a public-private partnership to protect and enhance important forested mauka lands for their abundance of public benefits and values. Though this original partnership has evolved over the decades, today the tradition is carried on by the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) for public Forest Reserve lands. The Forest Reserve System is managed under the guidance of the Hawai‘i State Constitution, Hawai‘i Revised Statutes (Chapter 183) and associated Hawai‘i Administrative Rules (Chapter 104). Through these directives, DOFAW focuses its resources to protect, manage, restore, and monitor the natural resources of the Forest Reserve System. The Forest Reserve System accounts for over 580,000 acres of state managed land, and without continued management these natural resources that provide a suite of ecosystem services to Hawai‘i residents and visitors to the islands, these resources would fade away. The Forestry Section also oversees a number of private landowner assistance programs including: Forest Stewardship Program, Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, Forest Legacy Program, and Urban and Community Forestry Program. These programs provide various incentives to private landowners to conserve and sustainably steward forested lands for watershed protection, wildlife habitat and a variety of forest products.

About American Forests
American Forests restores and protects urban and rural forests. Founded in 1875, the oldest national nonprofit conservation organization in the country has served as a catalyst for many of the most important milestones in the conservation movement, including the founding of the U.S. Forest Service, the national forest and national park systems and literally thousands of forest ecosystem restoration projects and public education efforts. In the last two decades, American Forests has planted more than 44 million trees in forests throughout the U.S. and in 44 countries, resulting in cleaner air and drinking water, restored habitat for wildlife and fish, and the removal of millions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Learn more at www.americanforests.org.

About The Davey Tree Expert Company
The Davey Tree Expert Company, with U.S. and Canadian operations in more than 45 states and five provinces, provides a variety of tree care, grounds maintenance and consulting services for the residential, utility, commercial and government markets. Davey is the premiere sponsor of the National Register of Big Trees and has been committed to developing new technologies to support the environment for more than a century. For more information, visit www.davey.com.