Leilani Com. Assoc. ....

[terrandshar]

Has the Leilani Community Association started making folks remove Albezia's that might be too close to neighbors property?

[Yangon]

I haven't heard or seen anything on the home assoc. website, but I know folks are pushing some sort of proposal. Tough issue the cost involved could break some folks. However, I can see way people don't appreciate the sleeping giants hanging over their properties. who wants to buy the house next to the huge albezia tree?

[Jay Bondesen]

As much as the Board of Directors would like to eliminate Albezia from the Community they are not currently empowered to do so. The State and the County are both working on invasive species issues and the DLNR is working on the hazard tree issues. They will take reports on hazard trees, those that threaten private property, but funding is not available for removal so they are limited to corresponding with requests to the owners. The key point is that property owners are the ones with a legal basis to force the issue.

Jay

[VancouverIslander]

I suspect it will take the lobbying power of the insurance companies to make anything happen.

[lavalava]

Out of the LCAs hands now as the County will now be addressing this issue -

http://www.hawaii247.com/2014/03/04/hawa...ig-island/

"Councilman Zendo Kern and the Hawaii County Council were honored with the Hawaii Island MVP award. For introducing and unanimously approving the ordinance to allow the county to enter occupied private property to remove hazard trees and other unsafe flora, after adequate notice has been given to property owners. If the property owners do not remove the hazard themselves, the county will arrange removal and send them the bill. This ordinance is precedent setting in allowing a county agency the authority to enter private property for the removal of an invasive species endangering neighbors and community, including the damaging Albizia tree."

[Jay Bondesen]

At possibly 10K to drop a tree I don't see anything happening soon without a major funding authorization going through as well. Even more problematic is that as soon as the understory is exposed to sunlight a thousand new trees will sprout. So follow up spraying or something will be required for at least a few years. I didn't check the definition of hazard or unsafe to what but I doubt if power lines or roadways are included so much of the Albezia forest isn't covered here. We need to start somewhere though and I appreciate these efforts.I hope that more will follow.

Jay

[gogould]

Say I know I am exposing some ignorance here but are these Albezia trees any good for firewood? Does bringing cut Albezia wood onto your land spread them to your place somehow? Are they good for anything?

[kalakoa]

Albizzia tends toward low-density, not useful for construction, and burns quickly.

Cuttings will root if given the opportunity.

Most subdivision roads are "private", so it's not clear that County will actually do anything.

[Justin]

Like some of the above comments, I like the policy behind this, but have a difficult time seeing how this will work as a practical matter. I don't see how new plants wouldn't just spring right back up. Moreover, new branches would just start from the stump, and those new branches would be even more brittle than the original trunk.

[Obie]

The Big Island Invasive Species Committee is having a demonstration project tomorrow from 9:30 to 2:00 PM in Black Sands Subdivision.
They kill the trees which then quit producing seeds and all of the leaves fall off.They are less susceptible to blowing down in strong winds.
The trees dry out,become lighter and break apart in smaller pieces.