LICH Landscape Hawaii Magazine - January/February 2013 Issue

A R B O R I C U L T U R E I S S U E
Key concepts to pruning that
promotes sound tree structure
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INSIDE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2 0 1 3 B oar d o f Di r ectors
Chris Dacus, President Brandon Au, Vice President
Matt Lyum, Treasurer Rick Quinn, Secretary
Jay Deputy Lelan Nishek Orville Baldos
Carl Evensen Karen Ostborg Chuck Chimera
Randy Liu Edmundo Reyes Steve Nimz
Christy Martin Mark Suiso Boyd Ready
Chris McCullough Josh Sand Garrett Webb
LANDSCAPEHAWAII.ORG 3
Formed in June 1986, the
Landscape Industry Council
of Hawai‘i is a state wide al-liance
representing Hawaii’s
landscape associations: Aloha
Arborist Association, American
Society of Landscape Archi-tects
Hawaii Chapter, Hawaii
Association of Nurserymen, Hawaii Island Land-scape
Association, Hawaii Landscape and Irriga-tion
Contractors, Hawaii Society of Urban Forestry
Professionals, Kauai Landscape Industry Council,
Maui Association of Landscape Professionals, Pro-fessional
Grounds Management Society, Big Island
Association of Nurserymen, and the Hawaii Profes-sional
Gardeners Association.
Landscape Industry Council of Hawai‘i
P. O. Box 22938, Honolulu HI 96823-2938
Editor
Christopher A. Dacus
Chris.Dacus@gmail.com
Advertising Sales
Jay Deputy
jaydeputy@gmail.com
Membership
Cheryl M. Dacus
Cheryldacus@yahoo.com
Designer
Darrell Ishida
Cover Photo
Photo by David Leonard
Local champion Ashlen Aquila in the Hawaii
Tree Climbing Competition
Mahalo to Landscape Industry Council of Hawai‘i Sponsors
DEPARTMENTS
4 PRESIDENT’S MEMO
4 LICH NEWS
6 EVENT GALLERY
13 FEATURED PALMS
21 NATIVE PLANTS
27 FEATURED PEST
28 TOOL TIPS
30 HAWAI-‘ICOLOGY
FEATURES
12 HILO ZOO
14 TREE BIOLOGY
18 MULTI GRAFT TREE
20 PALM CONFERENCE
25 CLT CERTIFICATION
26 DIVISION OF URBAN FORESTRY
COVER STORIES
10 structural TREE PRUNING
17 TOC 100 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
22 ASLA AWARDS
22
Platinum Sponsors
website
Website Sponsors
www.landscapehawaii.org
eNewsletter signup
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THE VOICE OF HAWAII’S GREEN INDUSTRY
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Be Sociable! Clifford Migita Aaron Agsalda

Happy New Year!
4 LANDSCAPE HAWAII JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2013 I am sure it’s a bit surprising
to you to pick up this issue
and discover it’s your last
issue.
Take a deep breath. It’s easy
to continue to receive the
Landscape Hawaii maga-zine.
And who would want
to miss the magazine especially with the great
issues planned for this year covering the latest
trends in turf grass, edible landscaping, sus-tainability,
and plant propagation.
You have two options to continue receiving
Landscape Hawaii magazine.
Do you love the magazine? Then by all means
show it and complete the attached form and
become a member! It’s only $30 dollars for a
one-year membership and the magazine by
itself is a $30 value. The Landscape Industry
Council of Hawaii is brimming with youthful
energy and 2013 is going to be it’s best yet. Our
new board of directors is better than ever and
ready to tackle some important issues. It’s a
great time to become a member or renew your
membership and get involved!
If you want to receive the magazine but do not
want to become a member then complete the
attached form and mail it. You will continue
receiving it and please consider a membership
in 2014.
And if you don’t wish to receive the magazine
or receive two copies, simply don’t return the
attached card. Or if you prefer to receive a digi-tal
version sign up for the LICH e-Newsletter
at http://eepurl.com/r0O35 and receive bi-monthly
emails with links to the latest digital
Landscape Hawaii magazine and occasionally
a story ahead of the mailed magazine.
Are you a news junkie and want local and na-tional
landscape news as it happens, then join
the Twitter feed at @LICHnews or “Like” us on
Facebook at http://facebook.com/LICH.organi-zation.
Enjoy the issue and keep on reading :)
Chris Dacus
President
photo: Shaun Tokunaga
“Do you
Landscape Hawaii
magazine?
lich
NEWS
CAROL Kwan Runs
For WCISA Board
Carol Kwan has accepted
Carol Kwan
Calendar of Events
January 19 – March 31
Oahu Permaculture Design Course
Various Locations on Oahu
January 21 – 24
Hawaii Rural Water Association
Backflow Assembly Tester Training
Pacific Pipe Co., Pearl City
February 20
Tree Biology Workshop
Dr. Kevin Smith U.S. Forest Service
McCoy Pavilion, Honolulu
LandscapeHawaii.org
(Check website for details)
the nomination to run
for the Western Chapter
International Society of
Arboriculture (WCISA)
Board. “WCISA covers the states of
Arizona, California, Hawaii and Ne-vada.
In its 70 years of existence, there
has never been anyone from Hawaii
elected to the WCISA Board, even
though some highly qualified people
have run. Garrett Webb came the
closest, doing well in the 2012 elections
even though he didn’t win. Since he’s
become involved in another non-profit
and is not interested in running
for WCISA in 2013, I have decided to
take the plunge and give it a try,” said
Carol. “Hawaii needs to be represented
on the WCISA Board. I have found
someone who is willing to transition
into what I’ve been
doing for Aloha Ar-borist
Association,
so AAA will con-tinue
to be a strong
organization and
I won’t be spread
too thin. Hopefully
if I’m elected, we
can build an even better relationship
between the two organizations.”
Ballots will be mailed out on Febru-ary
15, 2013, and the WCISA elections
will be open through March 1, 2013.
Online voting will also be available.
Current WCISA members, usually
Certified Arborists and Certified Tree
Workers, are eligible to vote.
“For the WCISA members in Ha-waii,
I would greatly appreciate your
vote,” Carol added. “Mahalo nui loa.”
Whats Hap p ening
February 22
Tree Biology Workshop
Kevin Smith U.S. Forest Service
Imin Center, Holualoa, Kona
October 10, 2013
LICH Conference & Tradeshow
Blaisdell Exhibition Hall
Upcoming Issues:
Tell a great story! Email the editor at chris.dacus@gmail.com.
MAR/APR
Theme: Turf Grass
& Legislature
Story Deadline:
February 8th
MAY/JUNE
Theme: Edible
Landscaping
Story Deadline:
April 19th
JUL/AUG
Theme: Sustainability
& Conservation
Story Deadline:
June 14th

Legendary Golf Course Architect Passes Away
ABOVE: Robin Nelson (center) with his design
partners Neil Haworth (left) and Brett Mogg
(right), November 2009 at the Sheshan Golf
Club in Shanghai (HSBC Masters Event). N&H
designed Sheshan Golf Club.
03-10-09/0000229489
3009 PMP-PENARO Proofed By: jmahoney
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Susan Owen
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Contact
(808) 239-1280 Office
(808) 239-2151 Fax
E-mail
owens001@hawaii.rr.com
48-373 G Kamehameha Hwy
Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744
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MAIL: knl@kauanursery.com
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national GC, Kahili GC, Kona CC, Mauna
Lani Resort North & South GC, Puakea GC,
Royal Kunia CC, The Dunes at Mauna Lani,
West Loch GC, and countless renovations
at other courses.
Certified Arborist & Certified
Tree Worker study materials
donated to libraries
by Carol Kwan The Hawai‘i Rural Water
Association is offering a
Backflow Assembly Tester
Training Course
DATE: January 21 – 24
TIME: 7:30 am to 4:00 pm
WHERE: Pacific Pipe Co.,
1255 Kuala Street in Pearl City, Oahu.
For more information and to enroll in
this training course, contact Karrie at
karrie@hawaiirwa.org. Space is limited to a
maximum of 20 participants for this course.
ADVERTISE
TODAY
Reach one of the fastest growing and
largest segments of the green indus-try,
the landscape industry with an
economic impact of over $520 million
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over 11,000 landscape professionals.
Inquire with Jay Deputy at
jaydeputy@gmail.com
Robin Nelson, Golf Course
Architect and resident of
Hawaii and California passed
away on November 19, 2012 in
California, with his family by
his side.
Robin Nelson had over 35 years of
experience in designing exceptional golf
courses all over the world. Originally with
the firm Robert Muir Graves in California,
Robin moved to the firm Golfplan in 1976
and soon became vice president in charge
of Asia.
In 1982, Nelson joined forces with Belt-
Collins, the well known Hawaii-based
land planning, engineering and landscape
architectural firm, to head up their golf
design company, which has today become
the firm of Nelson and Haworth, which
he headed for 18 years. In 2000, he was
named “Golf Course Architect of the Year”
by Boardroom Magazine and recently was
honored by being listed as one of the top
ten golf course architects in America by
noted golf writer Jeff Williams.
Hawaii Projects include: Bayview Golf
Links, Coral Creek G. C. Ewa Beach Inter-
Thanks to a Kaulunani grant,
Aloha Arborist Association
(AAA), Western Chapter
International Society of
Arboriculture (WCISA), and
Carol Kwan Consulting, the Hawaii State
Public Library System (HSPLS) now has
the latest Certified Arborist and Certified
Tree Worker study materials statewide.
Over $1,800 worth of materials, includ-ing
study guides, ANSI standards, Best
Management Practices, and DVDs, were
donated. The materials were distributed
to Hawaii State Library, Kapolei Public
Library, Lihue Public Library, Kahului
Public Library, Hilo Public Library, and
Kailua-Kona Public Library, but they can
be requested and picked up from any of
the 50 HSPLS libraries statewide. Visit
librarieshawaii.org and search on keyword
“arboriculture” for a complete listing of
available materials.
This publications donation was funded
in part by Kaulunani, an Urban & Com-munity
Forestry Program of the DLNR
Division of Forestry and Wildlife and the
USDA Forest Service.
THE VOICE OF HAWAII’S GREEN INDUSTRY LANDSCAPEHAWAII.ORG 5

Big Isle Landscapers and Nurserymen at Hapuna | By Ty McDonald
The Hawaii Island Landscape Association (HILA) and UH Cooperative Extension
Service recently presented the 3rd Annual Hawaii Island Landscape Management
Conference and Tradeshow at the Hapuna Prince Beach Hotel. This popular
one-day educational event continues to grow each year attracting over 125
landscapers, nurserymen, arborists and vendors from across the Big Island.
Volunteers form a chain
to pass plants and tools
into the sinkhole.
event
GALLERY
Whats Hap p ening
For more event
photographs,
visit our Facebook
page at:
www.facebook.com/LICH.Organization
Hands On with Kauai’s Native Plants | By Amanda Skelton
On September 22, Kauai Native Plant Society (KNPS) hosted a work-day at Makauwahi Cave Reserve (MCR) in Poipu.
Approximately 25 volunteers showed up to remove invasive plants and replant native species. Volunteers were given
a tour of the sinkhole in order to learn about the archeology and natural history of this inspiring restoration project.
Kaua‘i’s Arbor Day: Building Relationships with the
Environment | By Amanda Skelton
On November 3rd, the Kaua‘i Landscape Industry Council hosted
its 7th annual Arbor Day Plant Giveaway with more than 700
people in attendance. Hawaiian native plants were given away
including A‘ali‘i, Koki‘o ke‘oke‘o, Pokelakela, Koaia, Alahe‘e, Maile,
Kulu‘i, and Ohia Lehua, and “canoe plants” such as Ti, and ‘Awa.
Volunteers included Kaua‘i Nursery and Landscaping, the
National Tropical Botanical Garden, Garden Island Growers,
Alaka‘i Landscapers, the Kaua‘i Invasive Species Committee,
Kokio‘ula Nursery, and Keep it Native. Mahalo to DLNR’s Kaulunani
Urban Community and Forestry Program for providing the financial
support needed to make this annual event such a popular and
educational opportunity for the community.
Photo by Keren Gundersen
The Kauai Forest Bird Recovery Project
shares information with the public.
Photo by Erin Lee
Kalapana Tropicals orchids on display.
Photos by Keren Gundersen
The area around an
existing Lonomea
(Sapindus oahuensis) is
prepared to make room
for native plants.
6 LANDSCAPE HAWAII JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2013

Hawaii Tree Climbing
Championship 2012
By Steve Connolly
The 2012 Hawaii Tree Climbing
Championship was held on October
6th and 7th at Moanalua Gardens.
There were 13 men competing for
the title and, for the first time in
Hawaii’s history, the women’s
contest was competitive as well
with two women competitors.
Ashlen Aquila was the local cham-pion
in the men’s competition and
Jamilee Kempton won the women’s
title. The overall winner in the
men’s race was Jeremy Williams
from Arkansas with Ashlen Aquila
placing second, Justin Donohue
placing third, and Jon Perry
placing fourth.
Arbor Day Tree Giveaway
By Carol Kwan
Thanks to volunteer Certified
Arborists, over 6,000 trees
and shrubs, including native
species and fruit trees, found
new homes at the annual
Arbor Day Tree Giveaway
held statewide on November
3. The event was sponsored
by Hawaiian Electric and
Kaulunani Urban and
Community Forestry Program.
Vern Gutinez ringing the hand saw
station on the work climb.
Photos by David Leonard
Hawaii women’s champion, Jamilee Kempton, dives
for the flag in the Masters Challenge.
Photo by Carol Kwan
Waylen Rodrigues, Gary Abrojena, and Jared Abrojena answer
questions at the end of the demonstration.
AAA holds Crane Truck Rigging workshop
By Carol Kwan
Aloha Arborist Association held a Crane Truck Rigging
workshop on October 8 at Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden.
About 50 people attended the lectures on choker types,
history, and standards governing the use of cranes, with
demonstrations of crane rigging and removal techniques.
Mahalo to the C&C of Honolulu for their assistance.
Photos by David Leonard

Heidi Bornhorst and Kauhane
8 LANDSCAPE HAWAII JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2013 LICH Photo courtesy Heidi Bornhorst
Conference & Tradeshow | By Chris Dacus
Over 150 landscape professionals attended the Landscape
Industry Council of Hawaii’s annual conference and
tradeshow held on October 25 at the Blaisdell Exhibition
Hall. A big mahalo to all the speakers for their time and
expertise, and a special thank you to the sponsors; HISCO,
Rainbird and Kyoya Hotels & Resorts. Mark your calendar
for next year’s conference on October 10, 2013.
Kawananakoa Middle School revisited
By Carol Kwan
In May 2011, students and industry leaders representing the
green industry planted 24 native trees on the Kawananakoa
Middle School campus, thanks to the efforts of Lester Inouye
& Associates and a Kaulunani Urban & Community Forestry
Program grant. On October 31 the school’s Native Hawaiian
Arboretum was officially dedicated.
Photo by Carol Kwan
Alapaki Luke (left) who performed the blessing and Lester Inouye
(right), Landscape Architect.

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STRUCTURAL PRUNING SHADE TREES
Key concepts
A landscape filled with strong, long-lived
trees is most easily achieved when appro-priate
species selection and placement are
combined with high-quality, arborist-friendly
nursery stock (Figure 1), good planting tech-niques,
and appropriate follow-up pruning.
This article describes key concepts and an
approach to pruning that promotes a sound
tree structure that resists failure, provides
clearance, and improves aesthetics while
promoting long life.
From training young trees to managing
mature ones, structural pruning to guide
and manage tree architecture should be the
primary goal each time a tree is pruned.
Removing or subordinating defective parts of
a tree allows other parts to grow larger, which
promotes the formation of a stable structure
and attractive form. A well-structured tree
is aesthetically pleasing, preserves the crown
as it grows larger, is long-lived, and provides
benefits at low cost (Figure 2). Poor tree struc-ture
or poor branch structure can be costly,
leading to failure and early tree removal.
Structural pruning in the landscape has
two primary goals: to develop and maintain a
single dominant trunk with smaller branches
distributed horizontally and vertically around
it; and to reduce the likelihood of tree failure
caused by defects in structure and poor
weight distribution. Large trees are structur-ally
sound when they are trained to maintain
branches more-or-less smaller than about 1/2
the diameter of the trunk (Figure 2). Trees
with branches smaller than half the diameter
of the leader, and trees with branches spaced
along the leader or trunk, are stronger than
trees with large-diameter branches clustered
together originating from one position on
the trunk. Vigorous, upright branches that
compete with, grow parallel to, or replace
10 LANDSCAPE HAWAII JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2013 Tree has good structure with a dominant leader after making about 6 reduction
and removal cuts.
the leader often become a major part of the
crown and may be weakly attached (Figure 3).
These should be the focus of pruning efforts
early (first 30- to 40 years) in the tree’s life.
One of the most important applications
of pruning is subordinating codominant
branches (reducing their length) that com-pete
with the central leader to create a single
large trunk for 20 to 30 feet or more (see
Figure 2). However, it is common for tree
crowns to be raised by removing only small
interior and low lateral branches. This prac-tice
fails to address the poor structure in the
largest branches. As a result, large branches
grow up at a steep angle into the permanent
crown in a manner not seen in most trees
growing in their native habitat. These trees
take on a low-branched codominant form in
which aggressive upright-sweeping branches
become susceptible to cracking or breaking
as they grow long and heavy. In some species,
these branches may grow quite large, sag,
and interfere with people and structures,
requiring removal. Trees pruned as those in
Figure 3 can ultimately lose large sections
of their crowns, which leads to reduced aes-thetic
value, increased cost of management,
trunk decay, and shortened life.
By Edward F. Gilman,
Brian Kempf, Jim Clark,
and Nelda Matheny
NOTE FROM STEVE NIMZ: The majority
of tropical trees in Hawaii are decurrent
(multiple main structural branching), such as
Monkeypods, Ficus, Mango, Lychee, Kamani,
Kukui, etc. Decurrent trees with natural
branching and “U” shaped crotches are sound
healthy trees. Tropical excurrent trees include:
Eucalyptus and Cook Pines. Always be aware
of included bark with tight “V” shaped crotches.

Arborist is ready to make a reduction cut on a codominant stem (left stem) that
is competing with the leader (right stem).
estimated amount of foliage or buds removed
during pruning compared with the total
amount on the tree prior to pruning. The
ANSI A300 Standard recommends a pruning
dose of less than 25% at any one year; however,
this represents an average of trees across
all ages and health. Healthier and younger
trees tolerate much greater amounts of live
branch removal than do mature or unhealthy
trees. Large doses are necessary on certain
branches or sections of the crown to improve
structure or to reduce risk of failure. For
example, about 60 to 70% of the foliage and
buds on a young to medium-aged tree may be
removed from a large codominant branch to
subordinate it. Pruning a branch slows growth
on that branch in proportion to the pruning
dose and directs future growth by invigorating
parts of the tree that were not pruned. Other
portions of the tree may be lightly thinned in
order to mechanically or visually balance the
tree to improve aesthetics.
A large pruning dose can cause many
hardwoods to generate sprouts from latent
buds and adventitious points throughout the
crown, but many grow from points near prun-ing
cuts. Sugars and other growth substances
generated by sprouts help the tree resist decay
behind pruning wounds. These substances
also help replace the stored energy removed
with the live wood, thus sprouting is an ex-pected
and normal condition when structural
pruning. The growth rate of the most vigorous
sprouts can be subsequently suppressed by
reducing and removing them where necessary
to prevent them from interfering with other
branches and with each other. Less-vigorous
sprouts should be retained to help the tree
slow the development of decay behind the
pruning cut. Resist the temptation to remove
sprouts entirely because they are an asset to a
structurally pruned tree.
Trees can become a more sustainable
resource when they are trained with struc-tural
pruning. Long-lived trees appropriately
placed in the landscape provide appreciable
benefits to urban and suburban landscapes.
Training young and medium-aged trees to
a dominant leader with smaller-diameter
branches is the most reliable method of devel-oping
a sustainable tree structure. Maintain-ing
this basic structure throughout the life of
the tree minimizes risk of failure and provides
for large, structurally sound trees. Although
methods other than structural pruning can be
used on trees, none help train and guide the
tree into an improved in branch structure.
Further reading: See An Illustrated Guide to
Pruning, Third edition (2012) by E. F. Gilman,
Delmar Cengage Learning, Inc., 476 pgs. for a
comprehensive resource for tree pruning.
Edward F. Gilman is a professor of Urban
Trees & Landscape Plants at the University of
Florida Environmental Horticulture Department.
Brian Kempf is a director at the Urban Tree
Foundation. Nelda Matheny is the founder and
President of HortScience, Inc. and Jim Clark is
the Vice President of HortScience, Inc.
The Structural Approach to
Pruning
Other than for clearance of obstructed
views, much of the pruning that is performed
today accomplishes little or nothing of merit
to the property owner or the tree. Unfor-tunately,
this approach wastes money by
removing the wrong branches. The primary
focus when pruning landscape trees should
be to reduce conditions that contribute to
weakness and to prepare the tree for removal
of low branches. Established older trees in
urban landscapes should be pruned primarily
to reduce risk, preserve a tree structure that
boosts amenity values, provide clearance, and
improve the aesthetic value of the property.
Achieving these objectives requires different
pruning strategies for trees of different species,
life stages, and sizes.
There are three basic steps to developing
and maintaining a dominant leader.
■■ The first step is to identify the branch or
stem that will make the best trunk. It should
be among the largest in diameter and in the
center of the crown (but it does not have to
be straight), and free of cracks, openings,
mechanical damage, large pruning wounds,
inclusions, cankers, or other defects that could
compromise its strength.
■■ The second step is to identify the
branches that are competing with this branch
(i.e., those with a large aspect ratio, i.e. those
that are large relative to the trunk).
■■ The final step is to remove competing
branches back to the trunk or subordinate
them with a reduction cut, or a combination of
both. Remove and/or reduce some branches
that are clustered together and growing from
the same point on the trunk.
Establishing the Central Leader. In struc-tural
pruning, only the parts of the crown
that contribute to weakness are pruned, in
order to direct future growth into one leader
(Figures 4 and 5). Structural pruning redistrib-utes
mass within the crown by subordinating
or removing branches that compete with the
leader or have inclusions, reducing aggressive
or long branches, and thinning uncharacter-istically
dense clumps of branches high in the
tree. Rather than a one-time event, structural
pruning should be thought of as a process
that trains and improves tree structure over a
period of time. In this sense, it is like raising a
child.
Other pruning methods on established
trees, including crown cleaning (removing
dead, touching, infested branches), thinning,
reducing, and raising, can be applied accord-ing
to desired objectives, while considering
current structure, health, size, location in the
landscape, species, presence of stress condi-tions,
and other factors. A single pruning
method need not be applied uniformly to the
entire tree. For example, one side of a crown
can be reduced to relieve a structural weak-ness,
and the other side can be raised for clear-ance
or thinned to balance the crown.
Pruning Dose. The pruning dose is the

Notice the lush growth of the Normanbya normanbyi on the right side of the walk
compared to those on the left. The ones on the right demonstrate the benefit of
planting these palms in a mostly shaded position.
Hilo ZO'S
PalmsBy Karen Piercy
The only rainforest zoo in the
United States is located just
outside of Hilo off of the
Volcano Highway (Hwy 11.)
As unique as the animals
are, another attraction is the
collection of over 150 species of palms that
have been planted by the Hawaii Island Palm
Society (HIPS.)
With the goal of educating HIPS members
and the general public (even landscape archi-tects)
about palms, it seemed that having a se-cure,
garden display of a large variety of palms
with easy access was a good way to accomplish
this aim. With zoo management support, the
planting project started in the late 1980's. The
first HIPS volunteers soon discovered that
12 LANDSCAPE HAWAII JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2013 digging the holes by hand in the lava flows
was slow, tedious work. But work proceeded,
planting a few palms at a time over the years.
In 1995, HIPS was able to ease back pain via
backhoe support to expedite the hole digging.
With the aid of three grants over 4 years we
made great strides in planting a wide variety of
palms. Since then, planting still continues, but
the original plantings are mature and setting
seed!
The zoo is a great place to see what 4 inch
seedling palms will eventually look like and to see
different varieties of palms to use in landscapes.
There are palms planted in the full sun, part sun
and full shade. Large palms, small palms and
everything in between. Mass plantings include 33
Wodyetia bifurcata (Foxtail Palm) planted on each
side of the road on the entry drive into the zoo,
13 Cyrtostachys renda (Red Sealing Wax Palm)
line the main walkway just inside the zoo and 22
majestic Arenga undulatifolia used to hide the
back fence line. Some palms are located near the
walkways or in plain view in the lawn areas, others
may be discovered by exploring in the rainforest.
Don’t Miss the Palms
at Hilo’s Pana‘ewa
Rainforest Zoo and
Gardens
Dypsis decipiens is a clumping palm
with only 3-5 stems, and powdery,
white crownshafts. Although this spec-imen
is in part shade, it does well in full
sun – a living “sculpture” in the land-scape.
The Chamaerops humilis is a stunning,
clumping, fan palm and a lover of full
sun. It is a slow growing palm in Ha-waii.
There is also a silver leaf variety,
var. argentea, available to add contrast
in a garden.
A complete listing of the palms that may
be seen at the zoo is on a “palm map” avail-able
to download from the HIPS website. The
map includes a list of the species planted and
their location in the zoo. The HIPS website is:
www.hawaiiislandpalmsociety.com. The map
is located under “Upcoming Events” on the
Home Page.
The web site also has a list of palm nurseries
owned by HIPS members on the Big Island,
including LICH's own Garrett Webb on the
Kona side. Several of the nurseries have web-sites
listed, where more photos of palms can
be found! The list is located on the Home Page
under “Resources.” Information on how to join
the Hawaii Island Palm Society is also available.
Directions to the zoo may be found at the
zoo website: www.hilozoo.com.
Karen Piercy and her husband, Dean, are
HIPS Zoo Project Coordinators and long time
members of the International Palm Society and
the Hawaii Island Palm Society.
Photos: Karen Piercy

Foster Botanical Garden’s Double
Coconut
ABOVE: Double coconut
fruits developing at
Foster Botanical Garden
RIGHT: Singapore Botanic
Gardens staff collects male
flowers/pollen
palms
COLUMN
W I N N I E S I N G EO
The double coconut or Coco-
De-Mer (Lodoicea maldivica)
is not a palm one would
expect to see in the Hawai‘i
landscape.
However, it is just the sort
of plant one does expect to see in a botanical
garden, primarily, because of its rarity. Endem-ic
to the islands of Praslin and Curieuse in the
Seychelles, this palm is listed as endangered on
the International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN) Red List.
Foster Botanical Garden (FBG) is fortunate
to have two double coconut palms, which
were received as gifts in 1937. Now 75 years
old, garden records indicate that the slow-growing
palms, both females, have been
producing flowers for at least the past 30 years.
However, since there are no pollen-bearing
male double coconut palms in Hawai‘i, no
fruits were ever produced. Flowering over the
years was an exercise in futility.
That all changed one year ago, when FBG
received pollen collected from a male double
coconut palm growing at Singapore Botanic
Gardens (SBG). Knowing that FBG lacked a
source of fresh pollen, Dr. George Staples,
a former botanist at Bishop Museum, and
currently senior researcher at SBG, received
approval to share his garden’s pollen with us.
Timing was critical. Female flowers are
thought to be receptive for only a few hours,
up to possibly a day or two. Pollen from the
males is also thought to have a short period
of viability, which can be extended through
refrigeration and low humidity conditions.
When one of FBG’s female palms produced
a flowering spike, a daily watch commenced
to determine the optimal time to pollinate the
flowers. George was notified, and SBG staff
sprang into action. Male palms can grow to
a dizzying height of 90 ft., and male flowers/
pollen collection at SBG required the use of a
bucket lift.
Fortunately, female double coconut palms
are generally not as tall as the males. As
soon as the pollen was delivered, all that was
required at FBG was a ladder to reach and
hand-pollinate the female flowers. Then, we
waited and watched.
Two months later, SBG confirmed through
photos that a single flower had been success-fully
pollinated, and a fruit was developing!
The success was repeated another two
months later, when flowers from a second
flowering spike were pollinated using refriger-ated
pollen. This second spike resulted in
several more developing fruits.
Some amazing facts about the double coco-nut:
it can live up to an age of 350 years old; the
fruit takes 5 to 7 years to develop on the palm;
each fruit can weigh 50 pounds or more, and the
seed produced is the largest in the plant king-dom.
Photo: Dr. George Staples
Technically, it’s the world’s largest nut!
Thanks to Singapore Botanic Gardens
administration and staff’s enthusiasm and
generosity in sharing pollen and valuable
expertise, Foster Botanical Garden’s dream of
having double coconut fruits developing in
Hawai‘i is being realized. Working together,
our botanical gardens are helping to conserve
and protect this unique plant species.
Winnie Singeo is the Director of the Honolulu
Botanical Gardens.
Photo: Winnie Singeo

Palms are real, but are they re-ally
trees? The answer depends
on definitions. As usually tall,
perennial plants with roots,
stems, and leaves, palms seem to
qualify. Palms should also qualify
because arborists care for them, and arborists
care for trees, right? My introduction to botany
class defined trees as plants that produce wood.
Unraveling the question of whether palms are
trees helps explain how the diverse plants in
our landscape develop and thrive.
Whether a green plant is a single-celled
alga, a stately Koa (Figure 1), or a native palm
14 LANDSCAPE HAWAII JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2013 (Figure 2), each plant cell has a cell wall and
at least some of those plant cells contain the
biological processes to convert solar energy
into the chemical energy of the chemical bonds
of sugar. That sugar is then used either as fuel
or as a feedstock for the biosynthesis of many
different organic compounds in the plant.
In current botanical thinking, a small multi-celled
fresh-water green alga was the forerun-ner
of today’s green landscape plants that
include palms and trees. As green plants colo-nized
the land, the ability to resist drying and
to compete for sunlight granted a big advan-tage.
Plants that were just a little bit taller were
able to escape the shade of their neighbors and
to acquire more energy for further growth.
Mosses were more sophisticated than algae
and concentrated their cells capable of division
and growth into specific regions or meristems at
the apex or tip of the shoot. Primary growth or
tip growth is produced by the apical meristem.
Even with an apical meristem for height growth,
exploitation of sunlight is limited because the
moss cells need to be close to a continuous
source of moisture.
Ferns are less limited in height growth
because of a specialized plumbing or vascular
system that contains xylem and phloem. Xylem
RIGHT: Figure 1. A stand of Koa reaching
for sunlight in the forest canopy.
ABOVE: Figure 2. A Pritchardia palm, an
integral part of Pacific Island landscape.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN
PALM TREES? By KEVIN T. SMITH
Photos: J. B. Friday, Extension Forester, University of Hawaii Cooperative Extension Service.

Glossary:
Perennial—a plant that in nature
lives for more than two years
Biosynthesis—the work of cells to
produce complex chemical from
simpler starting materials
Apical—refers to the growing tip of
roots and shoots
Meristem—unspecialized plant cells
that divide to form new cells
Vascular system—specialized cells
to transport water and nutrients
Xylem—specialized “plumbing”
cells that transport primarily water
and dissolved minerals
Phloem—specialized “plumbing”
cells that transport primarily sugar
and other organic materials
Dicots—flowering plants with
two embryonic leaves in the seed
including magnolias, legumes, and
roses
Monocots—flowering plants with
one embryonic leaf in the seed
including palms, lilies, and orchids
Vascular cambium—the meristem
beneath the bark of woody dicots
that encircles the roots, stems, and,
branches
Ground tissue—the cellular matrix
formed by the apical meristem
Vascular bundle—discrete assem-blies
of xylem, phloem, and fibers
Lignification—a complex chemi-cal
compound that strengthen cell
walls of both monocots and dicots
Petioles—the “leaf stem” which
in palms is inserted into the leaf
or frond sheath that encircles the
stem
Figure 3. Diagram of
the two major types
of organization in the
stems of palms and
trees.
consists of various types of cells including
thick-walled piping that at maturity contains
no living contents but can efficiently conduct
water and dissolved mineral elements. Phloem
also consists of several types of cells including
those cells with living contents that carry sugar
and other biomolecules from where they are
formed to where they are needed within the
plant. The natural selection of traits including
the details of the vascular system results in
different organizational plans for cells among
groups of plants. Given the advantage of a vas-cular
system to grow up and away from moist
surfaces, the challenge remains as to how to
have the structural strength to stand tall.
As so often in nature, there is more than
one way to grow tall! Seed plants hit on two
major strategies, one for both conifers and
broad-leaved “dicots” (softwood and hardwood
trees) and another one for the “monocots”
(e.g., palms, grasses) (Figure 3). The perennial
dicots produce a second type of meristem, the
vascular cambium (VC), a few millimeters to a
few inches below the apical meristem, beneath
the bark, and extending over all of the woody
parts of the plant. The VC is a distinct tissue of
dividing cells that produces a layer of phloem
to the outside of the woody stem and xylem
which adds to the woody stem. When mature,
this secondary xylem is wood. The seasonal
layers of mature xylem produced by the VC
appear as the annual rings for trees in the
temperate zone and provide for the increased
girth of trees. For tropical trees, rings may not
be visible although wood production is still
usually periodic rather than continuous. This
strategy of wood production occurs across
the broad range of conifer and dicot plant
families. The thick-walled piping allows the
trees to grow tall, avoid shade, and chase the
sunlight. The formation of new wood around
the stem circumference enables the tree to be
self-supporting, even if the interior core of the
trunk decays away. Of course, there are limits
to how much a tree can decay before structural
failure occurs!
Just as successful in subtropical and tropical
settings is the strategy for monocots including
palms. Unlike dicots with a VC and distinct,
continuous layers of xylem and phloem, peren-nial
monocots have discrete vascular bundles
of xylem and phloem as well as strong fibers
that are highly resistant to tearing (Figure
3). The monocot vascular bundles develop
within a cellular matrix or ground tissue that is
produced by a broad apical meristem, usu-ally
nestled in and protected by the foliage.
That meristem is the “heart of palm” used in
cooking. Each palm stem has only one apical
meristem and unlike dicots, they cannot form
a new one if the apical meristem is injured.
Unlike dicot trees, when the apical meristem of
a palm dies, the stem dies as well.
Based on a single basic plan of root initiation
near the base of the stem, palms show a great
variety of root tissues and form. The distinctive
root characteristics are used by experts to iden-tify
family and species relationships in palms.
Because palm roots live an average of three years,
injury to the root initiation zone can impair
palm health and may lead to structural failure.
New leaves or fronds produced from the
top of the monocot stem are connected
with vascular bundles, resulting in a greater
frequency of vascular bundles towards the
outer circumference of the palm stem. These
vascular connections are essential to move
water, essential elements, sugar, and other
organic compounds through the plant. There
is no organized vascular cambium or second-ary
growth in palms. Rather, there is sustained,
diffuse primary growth accompanied by con-tinued
lignification of the ground tissue near
the base of the stem. Recent research indicates
Photo: Carol Kwan

that the bending strength of palm stems is
enhanced by having the vascular bundles,
including those tough fibers, distributed
throughout the palm cross-section. Also, palm
stems are strengthened by the crisscrossing
and encircling sheaths at the base or petioles
of the palm fronds, even when the blade of the
frond has long been shed (Figure 4).
Whether or not we consider palms as trees
may best be left as a personal choice. I’m going
with my old botany class. Trees have a vascular
cambium which produces wood, both of which
are absent in palms. However, palms share a
rich biological heritage with other green plants,
and contribute greatly to the beauty and ecol-ogy
of tropical landscapes.
For more information, please see:
Evert, R. F. (2006). Esau’s Plant Anatomy. Hobo-ken,
New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
James, K. R., Haritos, N., Ades, P. K. (2006).
Mechanical stability of trees under dynamic
loads. American Journal of Botany, 93, 1522-1530.
Niklas, K. J. (1992). Plant Biomechanics. Chi-cago,
Illinois: University of Chicago Press.
Tomlinson, P. B., Horn, J. W., Fisher, J. B.
(2011). The Anatomy of Palms. New York, New
York: Oxford University Press.
Dr. Kevin T. Smith, plant physiologist for the
Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service,
has published more than 90 journal articles and
book chapters on tree biology from his base in
Durham, New Hampshire.
Interested in learning more from Kevin Smith?
Attend one of his Tree Biology workshops in Ha-waii.
The workshop will be offered in Honolulu
on Wednesday, February 20, 2013, at the McCoy
Pavilion and in Kona on Friday, February 22,
2013, at the Imin Center in Holualoa. These
workshops will be co-hosted by Western Chapter
International Society of Arboriculture, Aloha
Arborist Association, Hawaii Island Landscape
Association, and the University of Hawaii Coop-erative
Extension Service. For more information
and for registration, please visit www.wcisa.net.
16 LANDSCAPE HAWAII JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2013 Figure 4. The scattered vascular
bundles and encircling leaf sheaths
contribute to stem strength in the
cross section of a Veitchia palm.
Photo: Carol Kwan

100 Years
of The
Outdoor
Circle
How a splendid
idea became an
indomitable force
IBy BOB LOY
t seems like such a strange, faraway
place for this story of Hawaii to
begin. But the group known across
the islands as The Outdoor Circle
actually originated in France. It was
an unlikely place for three women
from the middle of the Pacific Ocean to have a
purely chance meeting, but what they did after
that was even more remarkable. They created
a grassroots organization that quite literally
changed the face of Honolulu and has been
a driving force in the Hawaiian Islands ever
since.
On that day in 1911, Mrs. Henry Water-house,
her daughter Elnora Sturgeon and
Honolulu school teacher Cherilla Lowrey
marveled at the splendor of the Gardens of
Versailles and declared that they would return
to the islands with the intention of turning
Honolulu into a place of beauty. By January
1912 the women had established The Outdoor
Circle.
Starting With a Blank Canvass
With Cherilla Lowrey as its president, The
Outdoor Circle’s mission became widely
known and inspired literally hundreds of Ho-nolulu
women to become involved. The task
was daunting — transform dirty, dusty and
by many accounts ugly urban Honolulu into
a place that would instill pride in its residents
and raise the quality of life for everyone. The
original goals:
■■ Clear away front-yard empty cans and
other rubbish
■■ Make a flower bloom where a broken
saucepan held sway
■■ Border thoroughfares with flowering
trees
■■ Discourage unsightly structures
■■ Convert careless householders to
beautifiers
■■ Snip government red tape in the cause
of beautification
■■ Fight against ugly billboards
During The Outdoor Circle’s (TOC) first six
years, until Cherilla Lowrey’s death, the idea
Planting ceremony at Kaimuki High 1955.
germinated in France had been deeply planted
in Honolulu and was already in full bloom.
Goals became accomplishments. The rolls
grew from six members to 500 — all women
— who well before suffrage were determined
to stand up, speak out and change the face of
their community.
In those first half-dozen years TOC planted
the Mahogany trees along Kalakaua Avenue
that still grace the entry to Waikiki. Pensacola
Avenue was barren so they planted Shower
trees. Royal Poincianas went into the ground
on Wilder Avenue. They planted a Japanese
garden in Nuuanu. Monkeypod trees were
placed around Aala Park and Nuuanu Stream
was lined with Bougainvillea. And then there
was Tantalus. On those rugged slopes, TOC
women, on horseback, planted Kukui trees,
Night Blooming Cereus and Wiliwili trees.
And they used horse and buggy to regularly
carry water in barrels up those slopes to en-sure
the survival of the young plantings.
Signs Of Early Times
In addition to plantings, TOC began taking
on other issues that spoiled the island’s ambi-ance
— most notably, billboards.
While it’s now difficult to imagine early
Honolulu as a hot, shadeless city, it is equally
dismaying to learn that much of it was covered
with billboards. A multitude of billboard
companies posted huge advertisements along
city streets — legend is even a giant pickle
billboard sat atop Diamond Head. Their pres-ence
was inescapable. And for the fledgling
Outdoor Circle, billboards became public
enemy #1.
It took 15 years of arm-twisting, consumer
boycotts and high profile publicity, but one
by one the billboard companies left town.
Finally in 1926 one company remained. The
Outdoor Circle raised the money, bought it
Photos: All photos courtesy of The Outdoor Circle
and in its first and only corporate act, shut
it down. The next year TOC persuaded the
Territorial Legislature to prohibit billboards in
the islands. To this day, only Hawaii, Maine,
Vermont and Alaska prohibit billboards within
their boundaries.
The Outdoor Circle’s interests and influ-ence
extends into a wide variety of issues such
as preserving open space, protecting parks,
undergrounding utility lines and many others
that impact the visual environment of our
islands. But controlling signs and keeping
Hawaii clean, green and beautiful have always
come first.
From the early planting across Honolulu to
hiring, at its expense, the city’s first tree trim-mer
(1914) and creating what became the City
and County nursery in Kapiolani Park (1918),
The Outdoor Circle (TOC) has enjoyed a spe-cial
relationship with landscapers. As the city
grew and as TOC’s prolific beautification ef-forts
began to take root and be noticed, it was
clear that an early-day green revolution was
underway. TOC’s efforts encouraged private
homeowners and businesses to dress-up their
properties and an entire landscaping industry
grew to meet the demand.
War, Depression and War
From the 1920’s through the 1940’s as Ho-nolulu
expanded, so too did the urban forest
and other plantings that beautified the city.
But two wars, especially World War II, brought
a different focus. Instead of civilian urban
areas The Outdoor Circle focused energy on
planting the island’s military bases.
Some of the work was for beautifications,
such as Fort Shafter’s historic Palm Circle. But
fresh off the deadly bombing of Pearl Harbor
most of the work of the 1940’s focused on
See 100 Years on page 19

“3-Season” Multi-Graft Mangos
By Milan Rupert and Craig Duff Here at Kauai Nursery and
Removal of the terminal bud to induce lateral braching.
Compost is made in Hawaii. It’s an integral part of the
18 LANDSCAPE HAWAII JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2013 EKO islands’ ecosystem. It’s also one of the Founding Members of the
U.S. Composting Council’s Seal of Testing Assurance Program.
You can find EKO Compost at :
Maui EKO’s Plant
Central Maui Landfill - Pulehu Rd. Puunene
808-572-8844
Hawaii Grower Products
Maui , Lanai & Molokai: 808-877-6636
Big Island: 808-326-7555
Pacific Agricultural Sales & Service
Oahu & Kauai: 808-682-5113
M a de
O n
M a u i
COMPO STIN G
USC O U N C I L
Seal of Testing Assurance rubens.mauieko@gmail.com
Puunene, Maui
Landscaping (KNL) we
experimented on a small
scale with the propagation
of multi-grafted Mangos.
By grafting 3 different
varieties/cultivars, we give the typical Hawaii
homeowner (who has very limited yard
space) essentially 3 Mango trees in one! Even
more exciting — these trees will also have
the potential to produce fruit from May thru
December — up to seven months a year! As
the experimental propagation was successful
and customers showed a great deal of interest
in this new product we have expanded our
production this year.
We use “Local” i.e. “Turpentine Peach”
mango seedlings in four-gallon pots for
rootstock. At 6-8 months when the rootstock
are 2’-3’ high we remove the terminal bud
which induces lateral branching at this point
(see photo #1). In 3-4 months when the lateral
branches have attained 1/4’’-1/2” in diameter
we select the rootstock with 3 lateral branches
that are well balanced in position, size and
vigor for multi-grafting. The rootstock are
now “top wedge” grafted with an early, a mid
and a late season cultivar.
Our “3-season” mangos are grafted with
productive, high quality local and internation-al
cultivars and are divided into two groups.
The first group is made up of cultivars that
are anthracnose resistant and therefore will
produce satisfactorily even in wet areas. The
second group of cultivars are more appropriate
for drier areas. In both groups, it is necessary
that cultivars are chosen to have matching
size, vigor, and growth rate, otherwise less
vigorous varieties will be shaded out or un-derdeveloped.
Through our experiments we
identified the varieties that grow best together.
With the development of a successful
technique of propagation and high customer
demand we plan to increase our “3 season”
mango production. We will also continue this
spirit of experimentation and investigate into
the development of multi-grafted avocados
and “cocktail” citrus trees.
Photos: Hiroko Letman
Milan Rupert is the lead propagation specialist
for KNL's fruit trees, water plants, and bamboo.
Craig Duff is a landscape architect and estimator
for KNL.

ABOVE: Kalakaua Avenue Mahogany trees today; INSET: Landscape plans for
Kalakaua Avenue Mahogany tree project 1912.
futures depend on meeting a demand for plan-ning,
growing and maintaining the landscapes
that help define the image of our state. We are
an ally to those whose work turns our houses
into homes and our cities into places of beauty
and inspiration. To those who help ensure that
our islands serve as a place of refuge, relax-ation
and replenishment.
Now we look ahead to another century of
serving Hawaii. Much more than a promoter
of beautiful street corners, from basic tree
planting projects to sophisticated advocacy in
the halls of government, TOC has become a
statewide institution upon which our commu-nities
depend. And while the growing number
of its members are families or even (gasp)
males, we will never forget our roots as an
organization created by women. And we will
always focus on fulfilling our mission to keep
Hawaii Clean, Green and Beautiful for future
generations.
To learn more about The Outdoor Circle,
join a branch, or donate to its mission, visit the
website: www.outdoocircle.org.
Bob Loy is the Director of Environmental
Programs at The Outdoor Circle.
It’s Spring and look what’s Blooming!
The Robust, Colorful, Versatile and Tropical Anthurium...
Oahu: 808-259-7295
Total Free: 1-866-714-7837
Hilo: 808-959-4088
Total Free: 1-800-424-2053
www.HawaiianSunshineNursery.com
100 Years
Continued from page 17
helping protect our military and their families.
TOC worked to camouflage military installa-tions
from enemy attack by planting fast-growing
trees, palms, thick shrubs and vines.
Many of those plantings remain as historic
landscapes and to this day beautify bases
across Oahu.
Wars End But Fighting Goes On
With the great conflicts over TOC once
again turned its attention to protecting,
preserving and beautifying Honolulu. One
great project whose benefits still are enjoyed
island-wide today involved planting Plumeria.
Once perceived only as a graveyard flower
TOC envisioned Plumeria all over Oahu. In
1947 at McCoy Pavilion it held an event called
Ulu Melia, “To Grow Plumeria.” Thousands of
Plumeria cuttings were given away to “blanket
the hillsides.” 400 cuttings alone were given to
a nursery for planting in Makiki Valley.
But this era also was marked by TOC’s need
to save what was already in the ground. The
greatest of the battles involved the mile-long
stretch of Ironwood trees along Kalakaua
Avenue in Kapiolani Park. Planted in 1890 by
Princess Kaiulani’s father, the trees were fated
for removal because the city wanted to widen
the road. But The Outdoor Circle won the
battle, and a new road, parallel to the old one,
was created. Over the years these trees have
endured many threats and finally were granted
protection as “Exceptional Trees.”
Another battle royale that lasted decades
involved protecting Hawaii’s most famous
landmark, Diamond Head. From billboards,
to multiple development schemes, to rock
concerts and others insults, everyone, it seems,
has always wanted to claim this volcanic tuff
cone for themselves. And The Outdoor Circle
led the charge to protect it. TOC gathered
thousands of petition signatures opposing re-zoning,
defended it against high-rise develop-ments
and led the way to its ultimate protec-tion
as a state landmark, monument, and park.
The Outdoor Circle has always stood on the
front lines to defend Diamond Head.
The New Millennium
and Beyond
By the time the 20th Century passed, five
generations of island residents had come to
know The Outdoor Circle as the protector
of Hawaii’s greatest asset — its stunning and
unique visual beauty. TOC has become the go-to
organization for advice and assistance, plan-ning
and preservation. The Outdoor Circle
never claims to have all the answers but it does
promise, if possible, to do something to help.
To landscapers, The Outdoor Circle has
always been a catalyst that has helped an
important industry flourish. TOC remains
a friend to those whose jobs, businesses and

20 LANDSCAPE HAWAII JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2013 I don’t know who to give credit for first coming up with the say-ing,
“Life is what happens when you are making other plans”,
yet I am reminded of this throughout my life. The International
Palm Society (IPS) Meeting 2012 held at Nongnooch Tropical
Botanical Garden (NTBG) in Thailand, September 11-18 was no
exception.
My main goal for attending this meeting was to learn about palms
from Thailand. I even purchased the book, The Palms and Cycads of
Thailand, Edited by Donald R. Hodel, before I left on my trip. With all
of the intentions of studying palms on the plane, I was seated next to a
really nice lady from Beijing, who wanted to practice her English, and
happened to be part owner of an irrigation supplies manufacturing
company in China. We talked a little about the Ag industry, yet I was
most fascinated by our conversation on the Dali Lama, whom she said
is a crook and a current slaveholder. I understood this was most likely
the result of media distortion and censorship in China. Nevertheless,
she was a pleasant and interesting person to speak with during the long
flight from Honolulu to Japan. I didn't get to study my palm book, but
it was a pleasant reminder of the old saying mentioned above.
Upon arrival at the airport in Bangkok at 1:00 AM, I was entirely
relieved to find someone waiting to pick me up, as part of the IPS
Biennial Meeting package. This was just the beginning of an amazing
IPS meeting, which was very well organized! Most of the credit for this
belongs to Kampon Tansacha, Owner of the Nongnooch Pattaya Tropi-cal
Garden and Resort.
After spending the first night at the Grand Four Wings Hotel in
Bangkok, all of the IPS attendees met for breakfast, then boarded buses
to Khao Yai National Park. We were looking to see palms growing in
their native habitat, such as Pinanga sylvestris, Licuala poonsakii, vari-ous
species of ratan palms, and other species growing near Kong-Kaew
waterfall.
The palms are interesting. That is why I was there. Yet the leeches
were coolest! Did you know that leeches can jump? During our hike
through the forest everyone at one time or another had a leech crawl-ing
or feeding on them. When I got on the bus at the end of the tour
there were at least 5 blood engorged leaches crawling in the aisle or
down the stairs, after dropping off some unsuspecting dinner provider.
Amazingly, I did not give up any of my valuable blood cells to them, but
I have to admit, I loved studying the leeches more than the palms!
The next day, on our way to NTBG, we stopped at Tub Larn National
Park to view wild populations of Coryphautan palms. The palms were
beautiful, yet I was even more impressed with the number of items the
local inhabitants make with the palm. Fruits of this particular species
are edible, seeds are carved into beads, leaves are woven into baskets,
and wood from the petioles are carved to make knifes and bows. I
wouldn’t want to be the one with an apple on my head, yet the demon-strator
proved to be good marksman, thus showing the strength of the
palm wood coming from this particular species.
NTBG is truly amazing! To sum it up, I would call it Disneyland for
Triple crown coconut palm recently planted in lobby at The
Stones Hotel, Kuta, Bali.
horticulturists. It is not just palms and cycads, there are collections of
Ti, Plumeria, Ginger and many other tropical plant species. Behind the
scenes, we had the opportunity to observe a Sealing Wax Palm produc-tion
factory, where women of all ages were planting thousands of
palm seedlings using elephant dung as a main component of their soil
media. For the general public, there are gardens with tigers you can pet,
elephant shows, cultural shows 5 days a week, a number of restaurants,
a fish farm featuring 300 lb carps, floating gardens on a lake, and even a
rare car collection. For the horticulturists, nearly every plant is labeled.
The building I stayed in had what seemed to be the world’s largest col-lection
of Rhapis palm phenotypes. Nearby I was able to see a collec-tion
of multi-crown specimen palms including Dipsis decaryi, Dipsis
leucobensis, Ptychosperma elegans as well as several specimens of the
more common multi-crown Phoenix roebellenii.
After leaving NTBG on September 18, I met up with my father in
Bali for 2 weeks. Walking on the beach in Kuta we decided to get out of
the sun and call our taxi driver. While in the lobby looking for a phone
I spotted the most amazing palm of all! It was a triple crown coconut.
Has anyone here ever seen one before? I asked other IPS members, in-cluding
my father, and they all either said “no”, or “maybe one other.” I
didn't know how rare it is, but I knew we had stumbled onto the rarest
palm specimen seen during the entire trip. As the saying goes, “Life is
what happens when you are making other plans”.
Ricci Bezona is president of Bezona Botanical, Inc., a life-long Big Island
resident, landscape contractor, and horticultural consultant.
2012 Biennial
International
Palm Society
Meeting in
Thailand
By RICCI BEZONA

native
COLUMN
C hris Dacus,
Forest S tarr ,
Chuck Chimera &
Adam W illiams
In the last issue, we discussed non-native
plants commonly referred to with
Hawaiian names. In this issue, we will
discuss native plants commonly referred
to by their common names. This leads
to confusion among both consumers
and landscape professionals. Let’s call these
plants by their Hawaiian names.
Take the time today and share this list with
your designers, webmasters and nursery staff
and start using the Hawaiian name. Make
sure to place these plants in the native section
of your retail outlet and label them as native.
Change your website, drawings, publications,
specifications, catalog, and plant tags. Don’t use
the common name again. Let’s fix this once and
for all. We can do this!
Both this article and the previous issue’s article
were written by these writers. Forest Starr is a biolo-gist
and co-owner of Starr Environmental. Chuck
Chimera is a weed-risk assessment specialist with the
Hawaii Invasive Species Council. Adam Williams is
a Rare Plant Nursery Coordinator with the Hawai-ian
Rare Plant Program. Chris Dacus is a landscape
architect and arborist for the Hawaii Department of
Transportation and the president of LICH.
Here are the native plants most commonly referred to by their common names.
LEFT TO RIGHT: Kalo formerly
known as Taro; ‘Ulu formerly
known as Breadfruit; ‘Ahinahina
formerly known as Silversword
and Naupaka kahakai formerly
known as Beach Naupaka.
Photos: Forest & Kim Starr
Common Name Botanical Name Hawaiian Name
Silversword Argyroxiphium sandwicense subsp. ‘Ahinahina
macrocephalum
Breadfruit Artocarpus altilis ‘Ulu
Cabbage on a Stick or Hawaiian Palm Brighamia insignis Ālula
Tree Fern Cibotium sp. Hapu’u
Taro Colocasia esculenta Kalo
Staghorn Fern Dicranopteris linearis Uluhe
Hawaiian Gardenia Gardenia brighamii Nānū or na`ū
Hawaiian Cotton Gossypium tomentosum Ma’o
Hawaiian Hibiscus Hibiscus arnottianus subsp. arnottianus Koki'o ke'oke'o
Hawaiian Hibiscus Hibiscus brackenridgei subsp. brackenridgei Ma’o hau hele
Hawaiian Red Hibiscus Hibiscus clayi Kokiʻo ʻula
Hawaiian Pink Hibiscus Hibiscus furcellatus ʻAkiahala
Hawaiian Red Hibiscus Hibiscus kokio subsp. kokio Koki‘o
Hawaiian Orange Hibiscus Hibiscus kokio subsp. saintjohnianus Koki‘o
Kauai White Hibiscus Hibiscus waimeae Koki'o ke'oke'o
Kauai White Hibiscus Hibiscus waimeae subsp. hannerae Koki'o ke'oke'o
Sweet Potato Ipomoea batatas ‘Uala
Beach Morning Glory Ipomoea pes-caprae subsp. brasiliensis Pohuehue
Banana Musa sp. Mai’a
Sword Fern Nephrolepis exaltata Kupukupu
Hawaiian Rose Osteomeles anthyllidifolia ‘Ulei
Screw Pine Pandanus tectorius Hala
Coastal Sandalwood Santalum ellipticum ʻIliahialoʻe
Sandalwood Santalum ellipticum, S. freycinetianum, ‘Iliahi
and S. paniculatum
Beach Naupaka Scaevola taccada Naupaka kahakai
Puncture Vine Tribulus cistoides Nohu
Beach Pea Vigna marina Nanea

Hawaii Landscape Architect
AwardsBy Brain Wolf and Chris Dacus
The Hawaii Chapter of the
American Society of Land-scape
Architects held its
awards on September 14, 2012
at the Pacific Club. The awards
gala is held every three years
22 LANDSCAPE HAWAII JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2013 and honors landscape architectural firms in
four categories: research and communications,
planning and analysis, residential design, and
general design. In each category, there are
three levels of awards: Merit Award, Honor
Award, and the Award of Excellence for the
most outstanding projects. Five Hawaii-based
landscape architectural design firms were
honored with 11 awards.
This year’s jury was Heidi Bornhorst, Clark
Llewellyn, Paul Luersen, Jonelle Oshiro, Judith
Stilgenbauer, Jon Wallenstrom and Phillip
White.
General Design Category Awards
The general design category recognizes
site-specific works of landscape architectural
design or urban design. Four projects received
awards in the general design category.
Merit Award
The NFL Youth Education Town Hawaii
located in Nanakuli on the Island of Oahu re-ceived
a Merit award. The Nanakuli NFL Youth
Education Town is the first LEED Gold Certi-fied
after-school facility in the nationwide. The
landscape architect developed a site program
based on Low Impact Development principles
through native vegetation, permeable concrete,
rainwater catchment system. The landscape
architect was Ki Concepts LLC and the client
was the Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii.
Merit Award
The Punahou School Omidyar K-1 Neigh-borhood
in Honolulu on the Island of Oahu
received a Merit award. The landscape for the
LEED Platinum Certified Omidyar K-1 Neigh-borhood
at Punahou School was designed
to provide a hands-on learning experience
tailored to educating students about natural
science, sustainability, and environmental
stewardship from an early age. Children en-gage
in the exploration of the bioswales, grow
their own fruits and vegetables, and have free
reign of the play structures and contemplative
courtyards. The landscape architect was PBR
Hawaii & Associates, Inc. and the client was
Punahou School.
Honor Award
The Honor award went to the University
Of Hawaii At Manoa Center For Microbial
Oceanography: Research And Education Hale
in Manoa Valley located on the Island of Oahu.
C-MORE Hale serves as a model for envi-ronmental
sustainability by incorporating the
first, large scale, modular green roof in Hawaii
and using native plants and materials to
emphasize the Hawaiian sense of place, while
reducing irrigation water use and minimizing
maintenance requirements. The landscape
architect was Walters, Kimura, Motoda, Inc.
and the client was the University of Hawaii.
Award of Excellence
Walters, Komoda, Motoda Inc. was honored
with the top award of the evening, the award
of excellence in the general design category
for the courtyard revitalization project at the
No. 1 Capitol District Building in downtown
Honolulu. The courtyard’s landscape, historic
architecture, and works of art merge into an
urban oasis that stimulates the senses. The
landscape architect was Walters, Kimura, Mo-toda,
Inc. and the client was the Hawaii State
Foundation on Culture and the Arts.
Residential Design Category
Awards
The residential design category recognizes
built works of landscape architecture for
residential use. Three projects received awards
in this category.
Merit Award
The Alapapa Residence located in Kailua on
the Island of Oahu received the Merit award.
The Alapapa Residence is a LEED Platinum
certified sustainable home. The design
ABOVE: Outdoor Living In Manoa project
by Stephen Haus; RIGHT: The No. 1 Capitol
District Building courtyard designed by
Walters, Kimura, Motoda, Inc.

LANDSCAPEHAWAII.ORG 23
included meeting LEED requirements and a
request to Hawaii State Department of Health
for review of a grey water system for irrigation
use. The landscape architect was Belt Collins
Hawaii.
Merit Award
The Kona Residence located in South Ko-hala
on the Island of Hawaii received a Merit
award. The landscape architecture of the Kona
Residence embraces the contemporary design
of the architecture and existing natural lava
field while incorporating sustainable practices
through native plantings, rainwater harvest-ing,
naturally heated pools, and recycled
materials. The landscape architect was Belt
Collins Hawaii.
Honor Award
The Outdoor Living In Manoa project
received the Honor Award located in Manoa
Valley on the Island of Oahu. The landscape is
a series of outdoor living rooms with a Hawai-ian
sense of place. The program called for a
terrace and swimming pool, dining pavilion,
and a jacuzzi, all placed on an existing sloping
lawn. The landscape designer was Stephen
Haus.
Analysis and Planning
Category Awards
The analysis and planning category recog-nizes
the wide variety of professional activi-ties
that lead to, guide or evaluate landscape
architecture. Three projects received awards in
this category.
Merit Award
The Kaka‘ako Form Base Code Planning in
Honolulu won a Merit award. The landscape
architect developed a form base code plan for
the 450-acre redevelopment district in Kakaa-ko.
The landscape architect was Belt Collins
Hawaii and the client was Hawaii Community
Development Authority
Merit Award
The University of Hawaii West Oahu
Non-Campus Lands Urban Design Plan in
Kapolei won a Merit award. The plan serves
to define the design character of the property
surrounding the new 7,600 student Univer-sity
of Hawaii West Oahu campus in Kapolei.
The landscape architect was PBR Hawaii &
Associates, Inc. and the client was University
of Hawaii.
Honor Award
The third award was an Honor award for
the Marine Corps Base Guam Installation
Appearance Plan on the Island of Guam. The
installation appearance plan provides the
highest quality working and living environ-ment
for Marine Corps Base Guam personnel.
The landscape architect was Walters, Kimura,
Motoda, Inc. and the client was Pacific Depart-ment
of the Navy.
Research and Communications
Category Awards
The research and communications category
recognizes achievements in communicating
landscape architecture works, techniques,
technologies, history, or theory, and the lesson
value to an intended audience.
Merit Award
The Ke Ala Hele Makalae Signage Program
on the Island of Kauai was awarded a Merit
award. The purpose of the Ke Ala Hele Maka-lae
(East Kauai’s Coastal Shared-Path) signage
program is to educate visitors and residents of
the rich history of Kauai’s eastern shoreline.
The landscape architect was PBR Hawaii &
Associates, Inc. and the client was County of
Kauai.
The Malama ‘Aina Award
This award recognizes individuals or or-ganizations
outside of the field of Landscape
Architecture for distinctive efforts in promot-ing
the preservation and enhancement of the
landscape in Hawaii. Past recipients have been
Mayor Jeremy Harris, The Outdoor Circle,
HCDA, Beatrice Krauss, DLNR Kaulunani
Urban Forestry Program, National Tropi-cal
Botanical Gardens, County of Honolulu
Department of Urban Forestry. This year’s
recipients were Friends of Honolulu Botanical
Gardens and Auwahi Forest Restoration.
Friends of Honolulu Botanical
Gardens on the Island of Oahu
The Friends of Honolulu Botanical Gardens
was organized in 1961 as the Friends of Foster
Garden. Its purpose is to support the pro-grams
of the Honolulu Botanical Gardens and
to spread knowledge and the enjoyment of
plants. The organization supported numerous
plant collection expeditions, brought some of
the world’s great authorities on botanical gar-dens
to help plan additions to the collections
and to evaluate Honolulu’s Botanical Gardens
with other world famous botanical gardens.
Auwahi Forest Restoration
project on the Island of Maui
Over the past 10 years, Art Medeiros and
his loyal crew have made over 173 volunteer
trips to Auwahi and have planted over 82,323
native trees and plants. After 15 years, the
Auwahi Forest Restoration project on Maui
has decreased non-native grasses from 75%
to less than 1%. Amazingly, the fruits of their
collective restoration work can be seen from
outer space via Google Earth.
Po‘okela Award
This award means “striving for the best,
commitment to excellence, champion, or
ABOVE: The Omidyar K-1 Neighborhood at Punahou School designed by PBR
Hawaii.; RIGHT: UH Center For Microbial Oceanography: Research And Education
Hale designed by Walters, Kimura, Motoda, Inc.

pinnacle of excellence.” This award recognizes
local landscape architects who have made
significant contributions and changed the way
we look at landscape architecture. Past recipi-ents
have been Juli M. Kimura Walters, George
S. Walters, Paul Weissich, Tom Papandrew,
and Raymond Cain. This year’s recipients were
W. Frank Brandt, James R. Bell, Richard Tongg
and Catherine and Robert Thompson.
W. Frank Brandt
In 1967, with his degree in hand, Frank be-gan
his career with his college classmates Bill
Phillips & Russ Reddick with offices in Califor-nia,
Colorado & Hawaii. The firm grew work-ing
on projects across the Pacific, throughout
the mainland and Europe. Frank’s vision grew
into a multi-office corporation, PBR Hawaii,
and has been well recognized for its landscape
design & planning work both in Hawaii and
nationally with over 60 award winning proj-ects.
In 2000, Frank was elected a Fellow of
the American Society of Landscape Architects
and in 2012 was honored by Cal Poly Pomona’s
College of Environmental Design as one their
most distinguished graduates of the program.
His projects include Department of Hawai-ian
Home Lands statewide land assessment,
University of Hilo, University of Hawaii West
Oahu Campus, Ko Olina Resort, Kamehame-aha
Schools, Diamond Head Park master plan,
and the Kahoolawe Island Use Plan.
24 LANDSCAPE HAWAII JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2013 Ke Ala Hele Makalae Signage Program designed by PBR Hawaii.
James R. Bell
Jim Bell received bachelor’s and master‘s
degrees in planning from Cornell University.
He joined the firm of Belt Collins in 1967 and
eventually went on to become the firm‘s chief
planner, president and chairman, overseeing
its expansion into multiple offices through-out
the Asia and Pacific region. Under his
leadership, the firm has won more than 100
prestigious awards for projects and plans from
the American Planning Association, American
Society of Land Architects, Urban Land Insti-tute,
and other organizations. Jim is a fellow of
both the American Institute of Certified Plan-ners
and the American Society of Landscape
Architects. Projects include Mauna Kea Beach
Resort, Mauna Lani Beach Resort, Waiko-loa
Beach Resort, Hualalai Resort Punahou
School, Iolani School, Mid-Pacific Institute,
Kamehameha School, and Hawaii Preparatory
Academy.
Richard Tongg
Richard Tongg was born in Honoka’a on the
Big Island of Hawaii in 1899. In 1923, Richard
graduated from the University of Hawaii with a
B.S. in Agriculture and went on to earn a degree
in Landscape Architecture from U.C. Berkeley.
In 1928, Tongg returned to Hawaii, opened
a nursery, and began a design/build practice.
Tongg developed the tropical theme style that
became the standard for Hawaii resorts and
translated directly into modern day resort and
residential landscapes throughout the tropical
world. His projects include the Alexander and
Baldwin Building, Honolulu Hale (Honolulu
City Hall), the original Halekulani Hotel, Hono-lulu
Airport, the Maui Hyatt Hotel, Gardens for
the Vanderbilts, the Doris Duke Estate, the resi-dence
of Gloria Baker, the residence of Henry
Kaiser, and the residence of Clare Booth Luce.
Catherine & Robert Thompson
The Thompson’s were contemporaries of
Richard Tongg. Catherine Thompson was born
in Nuuanu Valley in 1897. She received her mas-ters
in Landscape Architecture from the Cam-bridge
School of Architecture and Landscape
Architecture. While on the East Coast, Cath-erine
met Robert Thompson. In 1926, Catherine
and Robert returned to Honolulu, and started
Thompson and Thompson. Catherine Thomp-son
was Hawaii's first licensed Landscape Archi-tect.
The Thompsons work is characterized by a
classical formality with tropical plant material.
Their projects include the Punchbowl National
Cemetery of the Pacific, The Honolulu Academy
of Art, Thomas Square Washington Place, Irwin
Park, The Pacific Club, The Downtown YWCA,
Honolulu Board of Water Supply Pumping
Stations at Makiki, Aliamauna and Kuliouou,
Ala Moana Park, the Doris Duke Estate, the
Liljistrand Residence, and the Theodore Cooke
Estate in Makiki Heights.
Brian Wolf is a project designer for Belt Collins
and the Past President of the Hawaii Chapter of
the American Society of Landscape Architects.
Chris Dacus is a landscape architect and arborist
for the Hawaii Department of Transportation,
and the Trustee of the Hawaii Chapter of the
American Society of Landscape Architects and the
President of LICH.
James Bell
Pookela Award recipient Frank Brandt
accepting the distinguished alumni
award from Cal Poly earlier this year.
The Honolulu Academy of Arts
designed by Thompson and
Thompson.

Kauai Test Completes
Program
2012 Certification By JAY DEPUTY
The recent Kauai exam has
added eight more CLTs to the
growing number of Landscape
Industry Certified Techni-cians
in Hawaii. This has been
a record year for numbers of
total candidates taking the exam and also for
numbers gaining certification. The three Is-land
exams tested 70 first time candidates and
41 taking re-tests, resulting in 40 additional
CLTs state wide.
A growing number of employers includ-ing
State and City & County positions are
requiring Landscape Industry Certification
as a primary requirement for employment.
This has been a driving force in the increased
demand for the LICH Training & Certification
programs. The three Island training programs
enrolled over 120 students in 2012. Since the
beginning of the training and certification
program in 2000 an estimated 1,000 students
have completed training classes, 500 have
taken the exams and 270 have earned certifica-tion.
Many of those certified have received
two or three different certification special-ties.
A complete list of Hawaii CLTs and the
respective certification specialties is available
at www.landscapehawaii.org.
Those earning certification in Turf Main-tenance
at the Kauai exam are:
▪ Justin Kaina, self employed landscaper
in Kapaa
▪ Bryson Long, National Tropical Botani
cal Garden
▪ Jason Silva, National Tropical Botanical
Garden
▪ Kaimi Nebeshima, self employed
landscaper in Kapaa
▪ Devin Troche, Pacific Landscapes &
Irrigation
▪ Christopher Farley, National Memorial
Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu
Earning an additional certification in
Softscape Installation
▪ Eric Witt, self employed landscaper
in Kapaa
▪ Jaime Gonzalez, Kauai Nursery
& Landscaping, Inc.
The 2013 Exam dates have been scheduled
▪ Big Island (Kona) hands on test......June 22
▪ Oahu hands on test .....................August 10
▪ Kauai hands on test ............. September 14
Training classes on all three Islands will
begin several months before the test date.
Check the web site for more details as the
dates approach.
Jay Deputy is the state administrator for the
Certified Landscape Technician program and a
member of the LICH Board of Directors.
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Brandon Au
The Urban Managers of Forest
Honolulu’s By Brandon Au and Terri-Ann Koike
The Division of Urban Forestry,
also known as DUF, in the
City and County of Honolulu’s
Department of Parks and
Recreation, has always been
doing what they’re supposed
to do, their job. Once called the Beautification
Division, DUF has two branches: Honolulu
Botanical Gardens and Horticulture Services.
In the Horticulture Services Branch, there
are two sections: Nursery and Landscape and
Arboriculture.
Headed by Stanley Oka, Administrator,
this government organization has become
an industry leader in arboriculture. DUF
manages over 240,000 trees on the Island of
O`ahu within the City’s rights-of-way and
in City parks. This is the largest inventory
of trees managed by an entity in the urban
environment. And this inventory grows every
year due to inspected trees accepted through
projects from other government agencies and
from new subdivisions. On average, more
than 2,000 new trees are added annually. In
addition, the Nursery and Landscape section
plants a few hundred new trees annually.
Due to the growing size of DUF’s tree
inventory, the majority of the pruning is
performed under contract by private tree trim-ming
companies. The awarded contractor is
required to have a Qualified Arborist on staff,
who is approved by DUF, showing competency
as a Certified Arborist with at least three years
of relevant experience after certification. This
requirement also applies to all City projects
when working near trees. DUF set this stan-dard
over 10 years ago requiring not only a
Certified Arborist, but a Qualified Arborist.
DUF has been evolving and has implement-ed
practices to save and protect existing trees,
remove trees that may pose a risk, and plant
replacement and new trees where possible.
As a start, certification has become a standard
in this organization. DUF employs 29 ISA
Certified Arborists (3 Municipal Specialists),
19 ISA Certified Tree Workers (Aerial Lift and
Climber), 5 PNW Tree Risk Assessors, 1 ASCA
Registered Consulting Arborist, 20 Hawaii
State Certified Applicator of Restricted Use
Pesticides, and 2 PLANET Certified Landscape
Technicians. Besides the astounding number
of certifications, DUF employees collectively
possess hundreds of years of experience.
An example of the protect, remove, replace
practice, DUF personnel examined coconut
palms in Waikiki near the Natatorium/Aquar-ium
ABOVE: 2012 Mayor’s Arbor Day at
Kamilo Iki Community Park; RIGHT:
2012 City’s Christmas tree being
installed at Honolulu Hale.
Photos: area. 14 of the more than 200 palms in
26 LANDSCAPE HAWAII JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2013 the area were determined to require removal,
and 20 palms were planted in their place. This
has been an ongoing project with palms being
removed and replaced over several cycles. By
examining the grove, you can see palms of
varying heights and ages.
Urban trees and palms lead a rough life –
people and equipment running over their root
zone, spotty watering due to faulty irrigation
or the whims of nature, mechanical damage,
vandalism, pollution, severe weather…the
list goes on and on. DUF’s job is to mitigate
against these challenges to extend the lives
of the trees and palms in their inventory, and
when necessary, remove and replace them.
In January 2007, the islands were hit with
two major storms one right after the other.
When most people were in the safety of their
own homes, DUF was out there on the road
in the midst of the storm. DUF crews were
rotated to work around the clock to address
potential risks posed by fallen trees, hanging
branches, etc. There were more than 500 calls
See DUF on page 29

A “Most Unwanted Pest” – Lobate Lac Scale
found on Oahu
Lobate lac scale (Paratachardina
Leave your name and phone number and
HDOA will call you back for more information.
Maui: 873-3555 (Mach Fukada)
Big Island – Hilo: 974-4146 (Patrick Conant)
Big Island – Kona: 323-7579 (Rob Curtiss)
Kauai: – 274-3072 (Craig Kaneshige)
As for the Weeping Banyan where the pest
was first found, Aloha Arborist Association
(AAA) held a volunteer workday to prune off
the dead wood and treat the tree on Novem-ber
3, 2012. AAA members will be checking the
tree periodically to see how it is responding to
treatment.
pest
COLUMN
Carol Kwan is the President of Carol Kwan
Consulting, a Certified Arborist, and the Secretary
of Aloha Arborist Association. Mahalo to HDOA
for its input and review of this article. Close up of adult female lobate lac scales.
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pseudolobata) was discovered on
Oahu at Moanalua Gardens dur-ing
the Hawaii Tree Climbing
Championship the first weekend
in October. To the large gather-ing
of arborists, it was obvious that something
was wrong with a Weeping Banyan (Ficus ben-jamina)
there. It had major dieback and the part
that wasn’t dead was heavily covered in black.
Trees of Hawaii, Inc. dropped off samples to
Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA)
who identified it as lobate lac scale, a pest new
to Hawaii. It had previously been known to oc-cur
only in Florida in the U.S. and was included
in the Most Unwanted Pests in the United
States poster compiled by Arnold Hara et al
(CTAHR Publication IP-29, February 2011).
After receiving the sample, HDOA sur-veyed
Moanalua Gardens and found lobate lac
scale infesting the Weeping Banyan, Chinese
banyan, Red Hibiscus, native White Hibiscus,
and Mango. It has been found infesting a total
of 17 plant species on Oahu so far. One of the
concerns about this pest is its broad range of
hosts. In the U.S., there are 200 known hosts.
Worldwide, there are over 300 known hosts.
No one knows where the pest originates. The
black substance found on the tree is a sooty
mold growing on the honeydew excreted by
the lobate lac scale. Based on the amount of
time for the pest’s life cycle and the different
stages found at Moanalua Gardens, the infesta-tion
has been there for at least a year. The pest
is well established on Oahu and has so far been
found in Moanalua, Pawaa, Pearl Harbor, Pearl
City, and Punchbowl. Hibiscus and citrus are
favorite host plants for this pest.
Arnold Hara, an ornamental entomologist
for CTAHR, checked with Florida for recom-mended
treatment methods of lobate lac scale.
Merit drenches were effective there. Combin-ing
these with trunk sprays of Safari is also rec-ommended,
because Safari is more soluble and
should give a quicker uptake but has a shorter
residual than Merit. Doing other things to
optimize plant health, like proper irrigation,
mulching, and alleviating soil compaction
around the plant, should help build the plant’s
resistance to infestation. HDOA may consider
biological control as a future option.
Darcy Oishi, Biological Control Section
Chief of the HDOA Plant Pest Control Branch,
has requested that if anyone finds these scales
at any new locations, please let HDOA know
right away. If you find this pest, please contact:
Email: hdoa.ppc@hawaii.gov
Oahu: 973-9525 (voice mail)
Photo: Walter Nagamine, HDOA
C A R O L K WAN

TIPS tool How to
P H Y L L I S J O N E S
another year! survive
HAPPY NEW YEAR to
all! Hope your holidays
were merry, and you are
energized and ready for the
New Year.
During the holidays
I always become reflective and somewhat
philosophical. While this may be a result of
aging, I have found that my thinking has
changed and evolved over the years. Locally,
the landscape industry with its many facets
has seen many changes
over the past year —
companies closing,
companies opening,
changes in location,
and changes in dis-tribution.
The
consistent
theme
was that
business
was slow, and competition was more intense.
Many companies responded by diversifying
and broadening their services. Others sought
new, more efficient ways of working in order
to save money and keep down costs. Others
just complained and did nothing. Unfortu-nately,
the outlook for the New Year seems to
suggest that this New Year will not be vastly
different.
Here are some suggestions, which may
help to make your new year less stressful, and
more SUCCESSFUL.
1. If your plan is to replace
your old equipment, make
smart purchases. Know
specifically what you need. For example, all
mowers cut grass. What kind of mower does
your situation call for — reel, rotary, self-propelled,
push, walk-behind, riding? Often
times the problems that people have with
their equipment is wrong application and/or
unrealistic expectations. Do you know what
is available in the marketplace? How do they
compare in price? How much maintenance
does each require, and are you equipped and/
or prepared to do the maintenance?
2. Streamline your
parts shelf and
maintain it. Know what
parts are maintenance parts and
keep them in stock. Know
what parts are available
locally and which need
to be ordered. Here is a useful hint: develop a
relationship with your vendor/vendors. They
should communicate to you that they want to
help you and make your job easier. Remember
part of what you are paying for when you buy
from them is their expertise.
3. Keep current with changes
in the industry both
locally and nationally.
Think about how these changes will impact
what you do, and how you do it. When the
two cycle Suzuki and Kawasaki engines were
no longer EPA compliant and could not be
used on the hover mowers, how would this
affect cutting on a slope? What would you use
as an alternative? Do you know what pieces
of equipment are now battery powered?
Propane conversions are gaining in popular-ity
across the country. Have you considered
such a conversion, as an alternative to saving
on fuel costs? Manufacturers are continu-ously
making changes in their equipment—
some are improvements, some are regulation
required. I recommend you’re signing up to
receive the OPEI (Outdoor Power Equipment
Industry) news on-line. It has some interest-ing
and helpful info. Talk to others in the
industry, and find out what their experiences
have been. Sharing information is one of
the most efficient ways of keeping current.
(Remember, we live on an island.) It won’t
cost you anything, and personal recommen-dations
allow you to get beyond the factory
sales hype.
4. Don’t get stuck in
the past. Get over it —
your 10 year old trimmer
does not exist anymore. EPA
regs and “clean air” standards
have changed the design
and mechanics of today’s
machines. You need to do
your homework, and
find what new machines
will meet your needs. If
you purchase a machine
that does not suit your
application, it is not the
28 LANDSCAPE HAWAII JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2013

machines fault; it may not be entirely the
salesman fault. You need to tell him what
YOU need and be sure that it can do those
things before you sign the paper; if such a
machine does not exist, pick out the most
important requirements and try to get as
close as you can.
5. Take advantage of a compet-itive
business environment.
Just as the big box stores are constant-ly
trying to become more consumer friendly
by adjusting what they do and how they do it
in order to get your last dollar. You should ex-pect
no less from your vendors. Price, service,
knowledge should be the criteria that you as a
consumer should use to determine where you
will spend your “last” dollar. Remember, if you
expect nothing, you will get nothing.
My New Year’s Resolution for 2013. I’m not
going to worry about my competition. My
biggest competition is going to be myself, and
how well I did last year. How can I do better
this year? What do I need to do to improve
the service I provide? How can I represent the
industry as a whole in a more positive way? If
I can answer these questions, then I will have
a successful year. What will you do in order to
have a better year?
Phyllis Jones is with A to Z Equipment and
Sales, formally A to Z Rental Center, in business
for over 25 years.
Unauthorized tree pruning due to
construction for residential property.
you have any trees concerns, please call DUF
at 971-7151.
Brandon Au is the acting head of the
Arboriculture Section and Terri-Ann Koike
is the Administrative Specialist for the City’s
Department of Parks and Recreation, Division
of Urban Forestry.
DUF
Continued from page 26
to the office on the very first day. Organizing
and preparing prior to the storm’s landfall
gave DUF the upper hand to prevent and
minimize the potential for major damage.
Additionally, the City and County of
Honolulu has been named Tree City USA by
the National Arbor Day Foundation for 31
years. Every year, the Mayor hosts an Arbor
Day ceremony, usually on the first Friday of
November. This year’s celebration was held
on November 2 at Kamiloiki Community
Park where all 400 students from Kamiloiki
Elementary School, led by their student
council representatives, assisted with mulch-ing
two newly planted Monkeypod trees on
the Lunalilo Home Road side of the park.
DUF coordinated a second Arbor Day cel-ebration
with Scenic Hawaii and the Kapi-olani
Park Preservation Society by planting
two rainbow shower trees in Kapiolani Park.
At the end of the year, a highlight of Ho-nolulu
City Lights is the lighting of the May-or’s
holiday tree, which has been harvested
and installed by DUF personnel for over 15
years. A second tree has been harvested and
installed by DUF personnel for at least the
last six years for Kapolei City Lights.
At the end of the day, DUF is just doing
their job and they are only getting better. If
PERMEABLE PAVERS MAKE PROJECTS POSSIBLE
GO GREEN WITH THE AQUAPAVE PERMEABLE ON SITE STORMWATER SOURCE CONTROL SYSTEM
WHEN IT POURS …… IT STORES
BENEFITS
 NO SLOPING REQUIRED
 INFILTRATES UP TO 354 INCHES OF RUNOFF AN
HOUR
 ROOF WATER MANAGEMENT
 GROUNDWATER TABLE RECHARGING
 WATER HARVESTING
 OIL CONTAMINATES MANAGEMENT
 FILTERING & TREATMENT OF POLLUTANTS
 LOWER CONSTRUCTION & LIFE CYCLE COSTS
 30-40 YEAR LIFESPAN
 SLIP AND SKID RESISTANT
 UP TO 12 LEED POINTS
 GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS
 CONSIDERED A BMP
 COMPLIES WITH NPDES
 PAVERS CAN BE ENGRAVED FOR FUNDRAISING
APPLICATIONS
 PARKING LOTS
 RESIDENTIAL DRIVEWAYS
 COMMERCIAL ENTRANCES
 SIDEWALKS
 PLAZAS
 LOW SPEED RESIDENTIAL ROADS
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
FUTURA STONE OF HAWAII
WWW.FUTURASTONEHAWAII.COM
841-7433 C23741

Plant
"In the Company of People" by Kekuhi Keali‘ikanaka‘oleohaililani
First of all, mahalo to Chris &
Cheryl Dacus (and whoever
their friend is who suggested
my name in the first place) for
inviting me to be a part of the
Landscape Hawai‘i community.
Mahalo! Its a funny thing…because at about
the time I received the email from Chris, I
was entertaining the thought of creating a
short writing piece on the topic of vegetation
in hula AND also thinking about how that
information could kokua others at the same
time…AND LOOK!
So what will these columns be all about?
And how shall we learn from each other?
First: I’ve been asked to share my thoughts
on Hawai‘i plant culture that might be useful
and hopefully interesting to you. I am most
confident in hula plant culture and Hawaii
plant culture as it has to do with the volcanic
sphere of influence. From these knowledge
basis, I’ve learned about how to make rela-tionships
with other plant culture communi-ties.
So, if it's all right with you, that’s the
platform I'll be sharing from. And if we get to
a topic that I know very little about, then I'll
invite a friend or two to the column to help
out. Sound good so far?
Second: You should know that I don’t
know much about the landscaping industry.
So, I intend to learn.
Lastly: I would like to approach this
column less like a report and more like a
6-session workshop of sorts. My commit-ment
will be to provide you with a new and/
or reclaimed tool from my trade every other
month. Oh, what’s my trade? We’ll its hula,
chant, mele composition, education at all
levels pre-school to post master’s, curricu-lum
development, Hawai-‘icology (I made
that up. See column header), ritual design
& implementation, and the articulation
of Hawai‘i practice in the NOW from the
mystic to the practical (although in my brain
there’s actually no dichotomy between the
two). I can do that! And if this article has any
hawai‘-
icology
Embodying the
Hawaii Universe
30 LANDSCAPE HAWAII DECEMBER 2012 | JANUARY 2013

LICH Landscape Hawaii Magazine - January/February 2013 Issue

LICH Landscape Hawaii Magazine - January/February 2013 Issue

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