In honor of Armed Forces Day, May 21, a tree-planting was held at the Forest of Loved Souls in dedication to peace.
Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday of May, pays tribute to the men and women who serve in the U.S. armed forces. To honor the holiday, Dr. Richard Stevens, history professor at Hawaii Community College — Palamanui organized planting trees and watering saplings in the Forest of Loved Souls in North Kona as a way for volunteers to give back to the ‘aina and community and to bring joy by planting trees in memory of loved ones.
In the Botanical Gardens of Hawaii Community College — Palamanui 20 volunteers began the morning with a pule and a moment of silence for victory and peace in Ukraine with the hope that on this day of tribute, planting trees may transform the darkness of war to the light of renewal and restoration.
Stevens has been organizing reforestation projects for years. He has consistently encouraged students, Marines, veterans, and community volunteers to join him in caring for the ‘aina and planting trees. Many volunteers have also assisted him in the renewal of O’oma Forest and at the West Hawaii Veterans Cemetery where they have been working to renew the heart of the cemetery and establish a POW and MIA Memorial Garden. Over the years, visitors from many parts of the world have come to plant trees in the Forests of Loved Souls and pay homage to those beloveds who are no longer with us.
For Drew Camacho joining in the reforestation of the lowland dry forest, where he used to hunt, has been especially meaningful. Although he is 40% Hawaiian, he spent years disconnected from his culture. After taking a class with Stevens, he has found reforestation and working on the ‘aina “a really good way to reconnect with culture.” It’s given him the opportunity to give back to the land and the community and also as Assistant House Manager of Bridge House to give others the opportunity to give back as well. He sees working on the ‘aina with Bridge House and at Palamanui as an “opportunity to get men and women connected with the right people, go back to school, and get the spark to change their lives.”
As the group finished planting the wiliwili trees provided by the volunteers from Bridge House, Stevens intertwined the history of the place and people with the present. The ancient dense lowland dry forest contained a great variety of species including a’alii, alahe’e, koai’a, wiliwili, and lama. With even more species than the upland wet forests, the lowland dry forests, stretched from the ocean all the way up the mountain. However, the introduction of cattle and goat farms on the coast, big goat drives, and major commercial goat-raising operations were especially damaging to the native trees.
Over the years, goats have succeeded in pushing back the forests and they continue to kill the trees allowing the fountain grass to thrive. To counter this devastation, 760 acres is being added to Palamanui as a preserve, which will be fenced to keep the goats out and the ‘aina will be reforested. Stevens says the work volunteers accomplish is one of the first steps in this revitalization of the ‘aina.
Also among the volunteers May 21 were two people making an effort to alleviate the “goat problem” and use goats for good weed control. When the Palamanui Botanical Gardens was established, feral goats continually got inside the fences and destroyed the young plants. Conservationists Mark Crivello and Sherry Jumalon of 3C Goat Grazing LLC stepped in to help. By fortifying and strengthening the electric fences, they’ve stopped the feral goats from getting in.
“We love nature and want to see native plants thrive,” said Crivello. They also utilize their own goats around Kona to manage weeds as they can work hand in hand with conservation groups. With their help this young dryland forest is beginning to thrive despite the goats and the fountain grass.
Volunteers are welcome to join Stevens at 8 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month for tree-planting and watering at the Forest of Loved Souls on the UH Palamanui campus.