A pair of iconic banyan trees in Honomu have become a tourist draw, attracting tour buses filled with international visitors who take photos and stand in awe of the decades-old giants.
A pair of iconic banyan trees in Honomu have become a tourist draw, attracting tour buses filled with international visitors who take photos and stand in awe of the decades-old giants.
But the beloved trees also have a downside.
They’re so large they encroach on nearby homes and the Honomu Gym — which just had its roof repaired. Their roots grew under the street and became noticeable in a yard on the other side. And the chance the trees will drop a branch and kill or injure someone worries county officials.
When one of the trees became overwhelming to nearby property, community members asked Hawaii County Parks and Recreation to consult with an arborist. They wanted to know if there was a way to save the trees by trimming them. They also hoped the arborist could suggest how to protect neighboring properties.
Honomu residents were greeted by Mayor Harry Kim and top-level officials from Parks and Recreation, including director Charmaine Kamaka, during a meeting last week in Honomu. Members of the new Kim administration brought news of the arborist’s recommendations.
According to park planner James Komata, the arborist recommended Parks and Recreation:
• Entirely remove the tree closest to the road and ocean at a cost of $50,000 and, for $40,000 more, trim the other tree’s canopy to about 30 feet from the ground, and install a 100-foot-long root barrier. Also, pay $5,000 annual maintenance to keep the remaining tree trimmed.
• If community members do not want the makai tree removed, instead trim its canopy by 75 percent and trim the other tree. Then, pay $5,000 annual upkeep per tree.
• Remove both trees entirely and replace them with flowers and “the right trees for the right place.”
Kim set the tone for the meeting.
“There is no reason why you and I should be on opposite sides,” he said to those in attendance. “We should be happy to think that we are here trying to solve a problem.”
He said the goal was to share information and then come to a decision, together, that is in the best interest of the community as a whole. Government should be “an extension of the people and not the other way around,” he emphasized.
“Nobody is going to get it all their way,” he said.
Parks and Recreation officials asked the more than a dozen community members present at the meeting to survey the community, find out the community’s overall preference among the options presented and let Parks and Recreation know by the end of this month.
The meeting was congenial with opinions expressed, concerns raised and answers provided, when available.
Kamaka, for example, pointed out matter-of-factly that “we have a limited amount of money. If we take the money and put it here, there will be less to put it there.” She gave the example of not being able to buy a new piece of needed equipment, such as a lawnmower, if money gets used instead to pay for tree maintenance.
The tree problem is a big enough safety concern that Kamaka “asked Park maintenance to put one of those ugly barriers around it because we’ve got a lot of dead branches.” She noted that she grew up around banyan trees, “so it’s in my blood.” But she said it’s essential to pay attention to safety hazards such as falling, tripping and the trees endangering nearby properties.
Jude Mattos, who lives near the mauka tree, said county workers used to keep the two trees trimmed. But the last time that happened was about eight years ago. Before the meeting, Mattos said he thinks his grandmother planted one of the trees to honor community members who served in World War II. He spoke during the meeting and said he’d like the trees to be saved because of their economic benefit to the community and their iconic status.
Stone Willow, whose yard across the street from the makai tree has banyan roots coming up, said it’s a big decision for the community. The trees, he said, were nominated for exceptional tree status, although the appointed committee that would approve or deny that status currently has no members.
“It meets all the qualifications of being an exceptional tree,” Willow said, noting he’d like the trees to stay but understands if one or both need to be cut down.
The mayor said banyan trees “do not stop growing until something happens, until the wind starts blowing.” But he repeated the county’s desire that community members be the decision makers.
“I ask you to help us make a decision on what’s best for this community,” Kim said.
Brad Kurokawa of Honomu told the crowd he’s a landscape architect by training.
“Bottom line, on those particular trees, it is the wrong tree in the wrong place,” he said.
“To me, it really comes down to safety,” said Carlos Palma, who owns land in Honomu and plans to build a home and move to the community. “These trees are not safe. I would not allow my children to play under those trees.”
Dollars for trimming the trees, in whatever fashion it happens, will come from the county’s general operating budget. This single pair of trees has Parks and Rec officials eyeing the potential cost if a tree along Banyan Drive in Hilo suffers catastrophic storm damage — because there are a lot of banyan trees there and countywide these days.
It remained unclear after the meeting if community members would try to do a survey, ask community members to call or write Parks and Rec or have a vote during the next community meeting slated for 6:30 p.m. Jan. 18 at the church located at 28-1630 Old Mamalahoa Highway.
Carlton Loving, a Honomu math teacher, told community members who brainstormed after the meeting about ways to get widespread Honomu input that the time to act as a community is now.
“My goodness,” he said. “Our mayor was here! Right now it’s kind of on the front burner.”
Email Jeff Hansel at jhansel@hawaiitribune-herald.com.