Hawaii Grown Christmas Tree Evaluation Project

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

The Hawaii Forest Institute is looking for volunteers to help determine which species of conifers may grow well at low to mid elevations on the Big Island, to develop a local Christmas Tree industry. Here are the requirements to become a participant:

Aloha,
Aileen Yeh is looking for cooperators on Hawai'i Island for our "Production & Evaluation of Mid-to-Low Elevation Locally-grown Trees" project. If you are interested, please email Aileen at ayeh@hawaii.rr.com with the following information by April 15, 2018:

Your Name and phone number
Location of your property
Approximate rainfall at your property
Approximate elevation of your property
Approximate soil type at your property

Cooperator Requirements

As a cooperator, you will need to plant at least five seedlings of each species in the ground. You can also pot some to see how they do as potted trees. Seedlings will be provided by Aileen and the number of seedlings each cooperator plants to be determined.

Documentation will include recording:

Date received
Date planted or potted
Height and root collar diameter at planting
Height and root collar diameter at least every three months
Kind of fertilizer used if any
Your observations

The plants must be maintained to keep the weeds down. Your observations are important. Do you think they would make good Christmas trees? You can volunteer to host a field day for other growers to see your plantings, however this is not required.

https://www.hawaiiforestinstitute.org/ou...mas-trees/

Idiots rule the world, but only when there is a fair vote. - Last Aphorisms

[bananahead]

conifers are not native.. they should never be planted here... period.... no need for mess up the island anymore than it already is... with planting 100% wasted effort vegetation (grow, kill, display for 3 weeks, then trash every Jan) of non native trees for a kooky Macy's kine fairy tail holiday.. aloha

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save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

conifers are not native..

While that's true, it's doubtful people are going to stop displaying Christmas trees in their homes at Christmas.
If we continue importing cut trees, we also continue to bring snails, slugs, wasps, moths, etc etc into Hawaii - - all non-native. That's one of the goals of the program, to reduce importation of invasive species, only somewhat ironically, by growing non-invasive non-native tree species.

Idiots rule the world, but only when there is a fair vote. - Last Aphorisms

[Carey]

true irony... BANANAhead condemning non-natives.... as if bananas are native.....
As the ancient Polynesian mariner knew, it is hard to survive in an environment with strictly endemic & indigenous plants... and animals...& they were the first of fleet-loads of ships to bring their "comfort species" (& their dependents...)

[rainyjim]

https://www.jstor.org/stable/43477609?se...b_contents

I got to reading this after reading your comment Carey, the title is misleading but it is really interesting about the banana production in Hawaii.

[1voyager1]

The greatest potential problem with growing local conifers for local consumption is that those grown under warmer conditions, when brought indoors will usually have a massive needle drop under in-home conditions.
The best performing cut trees for indoor Christmas use are grown a colder environment.

I will admit my experience is dated.
It is possible that breeding programs may have brought about changes in the farmed trees and their adaptability to an indoor environment.
But, it'd have to be proven to me.

[kalakoa]

The best performing cut trees for indoor Christmas use are grown a colder environment.

Mauna Kea gets pretty cold.

[1voyager1]

@ kalakoa
It is also above timber line.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

those grown under warmer conditions, when brought indoors will usually have a massive needle drop

A local tree can be cut & placed in water almost immediately. A tree grown in colder Washington state, will be cut, sprayed with green dye so it looks fresh, shipped dry by truck to Seattle, transferred into a container, loaded on a ship, until weeks later it finally arrives in Hawaii. Then the trunk is cut and placed in a tree holder filled with water, although the needles are already brown under the green dye and chemical pine scent.

Most trees I've purchased that were grown on the mainland lose needles with a good shake after a few days in the living room.

Portion of Hawaii’s drinking water that comes from underground wells : 9/10
Gallons of raw sewage that leak into the ground from Hawaii cesspools each day : 53,000,000 - Harper's Index

[hrooster]

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Originally posted by HereOnThePrimalEdge

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https://www.hawaiiforestinstitute.org/ou...mas-trees/

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http://the-hroost.com