Environmentalists are making headway against the ‘menace’ that is the albizia tree
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Environmental protection groups are making gains when it comes to defending Hawaii’s forest against invasive species like albizia trees.
The Koolau Mountains Watershed Partnership has treated over 11,000 albizia trees on Oahu so far.
These trees aren’t only a menace to the ecosystem, they can be dangerous and expensive to remove.
It can easily cost over $10,000 to cut down and remove these trees by an arborist.
J.C. Watson is a program manager at KMWP and says his group has made a lot of progress when it comes to regionally eradicating the invasive species from certain areas on Oahu.
”We have had really good success in Halawa and Waialae, where we have cleared all the albizia out of those valleys. We’re also working in Moanalua, Haiku Valley and the watersheds in upper Manoa,” he said.
Albizia is one of the fastest-growing trees in the world and impacts the urban, agricultural, infrastructure, tourism, and priority watersheds on Oahu.
KMWP is administered by the University of Hawaii, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit and works hand in and with land owners across the Koolau mountains.
The partnership is funded by a combination of private monies and public and private grants as well as donations.
If you would like to contribute to KMWP and it’s efforts to foster healthy watersheds click here.
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